Survey highlights skill shortages in ICT

Citation

(2003), "Survey highlights skill shortages in ICT", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 No. 2/3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.2003.00327bab.004

Survey highlights skill shortages in ICT

Survey highlights skill shortages in ICT

Skill shortages will mean that up to 1.7 million jobs in information and communication technology (ICT) will be unfilled in Europe by 2005, according to new research.

Specifically highlighted is an undersupply of skills in networking, software applications and distributedICT, which covers client-server infra-structures such as desktop support staff and NT server analysts. These areas are also less likely to have seen redundancies over the past year, compounding’the significance of the shortage.

Germany, France and the UK are projected to have the largest overall skill shortages, with Austria,Switzerland and Spain projected to have the greatest percentage of shortages.

"For most companies, it is imposs-ible to separate ICT from business process", said Steven Gilroy, vice-president of international sales and marketing at CompTIA, the global Computing Technology IndustryAssociation, which carried out the research. "Employers may have deferred some new ICT projects in the current economy, but we must not be short-sighted.

"It is vital that we work diligently to continue to attract new entrants to the ICT workforce, partnering government and higher education whenever possible. We need to be providing foundational skills and credentials that prove knowledge level and start people on the road to lifelong careers in ICT. The ICT sector is fundamental to the economy", he said.

Anneleen Vaandrager, vice-president and general manager of NCS Pearson-VUE Testing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, which was also involved in the research, said: "We must work harder to retain the skilled workers we currently have, by offering them professional-development incentives, training and certification programmes to help them to progress and prove their industry-relevant skills.

"In today's economy, more than ever before, we need to prove we are getting maximum benefit from our existing ICT staff. Experience and research show that training and certification are key tools in retaining and utilizing existing ICT staff."

Career Space is a consortium which aims to combat the shortage of ICT skills in Europe. The consortium consists of 11 European ICT companies (including BT, Microsoft and IBM) and the European Information, Communications and ConsumerElectronics Industry TechnologyAssociation. They are working with governments, the European Commission, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training and education institutions.

The consortium seeks to: attract more people, especially women, into the industry, and encourage interest in learning information and com-munication technology skills; com-municate the skills challenge and the business, economic and personalopportunities; and help governments to develop policies that will foster the growth of information and communication technology skills in Europe.

The consortium's work can be seen on the Internet, at www.career-space. com. The Website outlines the types of jobs most in demand, describes some of the people who are successful in those jobs and highlights the skills needed in the information and communication technology industry.

Further information is available from Thomas Bourke, International Co-operation Europe Ltd, Fifth Floor, 47-48 boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 503 0419; Fax: +32 2 514 1342.