News in Brief

Latest ICT Inquiry (Q2 06) indicates highly-skilled IT professionals are in demand

Findings released today from the latest quarterly e-skills UK ICT Inquiry show that highly skilled IT professionals are in huge demand as technology becomes increasingly integrated into business operations.  Over half (56%) of IT professional vacancies in the second quarter of 2006 were for system developers and system designers and one in five (19%) of the IT workforce now holds a management role.

The demand for IT user skills is also increasing, with around three out of four (71 %) workers in the UK now using technology as part of their everyday jobs.

Other findings from the latest e-skills UK ICT Inquiry, which is based on the opinions of over 1,000 individuals responsible for ICT recruitment/development, include:

• Less than four out of ten UK-based organisations have an IT training plan in place, and this drops to three out of ten for IT and telecoms companies
• Around 60 per cent of advertised IT professional positions represented ‘new’ roles, created as a result of company expansion, reorganisation or the securing of new orders

Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK comments: “The findings of the ICT Inquiry demonstrate a significant demand for IT professionals who can design, implement and manage increasingly complex technology systems in today’s workplace.  This means that they require high level technical skills, as well as business and project management skills.

“As part of the Professionalism in IT (ProfIT) alliance, we are developing rounded skills profiles for IT professionals roles that cover the full range of technical, business and communications skills required.  These profiles will underpin ongoing professional development for IT professionals and make it easier for companies to recognise the capabilities people have.”

To access the latest ICT Inquiry visit www.e-skills.com/ictinquiry.  For more information about the ProfIT alliance visit www.e-skills.com/profit.

Posted on 17 Nov 2006