News in Brief

IT skills improvement plan to support economic growth in Northern Ireland

Urgent action to improve IT skills is fundamental to the continued economic prosperity of Northern Ireland, according to e-skills UK research* and consultation that included over 550 employers in Northern Ireland.  The research underpins a ten year vision and three year action plan for IT skills development in Northern Ireland, published today.

The action plan, called the Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for IT, has been developed by e-skills UK with Momentum, the trade association for ICT companies in Northern Ireland, employers, educators and government.  It follows extensive research which revealed that, over the next 15 years, the IT industry in Northern Ireland is forecast to grow at more than three times the rate of overall employment growth in Northern Ireland.  Around 2000** people are needed each year to enter the IT workforce, filling increasingly complex, high added value roles.  At the same time, the numbers of people choosing to study technology-related subjects continues to fall.

The research also demonstrated that more than a quarter of businesses in Northern Ireland have employees who lack the everyday IT skills to do their jobs.

Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said: "Businesses and the entire Northern Ireland economy are dependent on having a workforce with the right IT skills. The SSA for IT has united employers and other partners in a coherent strategy and action plan for IT skills improvement. This is not just about improvements in the IT sector, but about helping businesses in every sector which depend increasingly on IT for their success, and supporting Northern Ireland’s long term economic prosperity."

Michael Crow, Head of Application Services (Northern Ireland), Fujitsu Services said: "The SSA for IT aims to support the continued growth of Northern Ireland as a vibrant IT-enabled economy.  The strategy set out in the Agreement is backed by industry leaders from companies across all business sectors in Northern Ireland - companies who recognise the importance of IT skills in fuelling business growth both now and in the future.  Fujitsu has a proud record of investment in Northern Ireland and is committed to supporting this Agreement."

The SSA for IT in Northern Ireland has four strategic objectives: to improve the attractiveness of IT careers; prepare the future workforce; develop adults and the existing workforce; and address infrastructure matters such as qualifications reform.

To meet these objectives, e-skills UK will work with employers, Momentum and other partners to deliver the following collaborative programmes:

• Provide support for careers advisers in Northern Ireland to promote an up to date and positive understanding of IT career options, skills needs and development routes.
• Establish a Higher Education/Industry Forum to bring employers and universities together to share issues and ensure higher education understands and can respond to employer needs.
• Support the growth of the IT workforce in Northern Ireland with the development of focused skills frameworks for IT professionals.
• Align the roll out of the ITQ qualification and e-skills Passport assessment tool for IT users to support Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) policies for qualifications reform and Further Education provision.

For your complimentary copy of the Sector Skills Agreement for IT Action Plan for Northern Ireland and of the IT Insights research, go to www.e-skills.com/nissa.

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* IT employment growth forecasts and scenarios for Northern Ireland, (e-skills UK/Experian, 2006).  IT Insights: Skills Gap Analysis Northern Ireland (e-skills UK, 2005).

** 1,970 - this figure includes 360 jobs created by growth and 1,610 new entrants to replace those leaving the IT workforce.

NB The SSA for IT strategy and action plan consider the skills needs of the 14,600 people in the IT workforce in Northern Ireland, the 76,200 business managers and leaders who need to understand how to realise the potential of IT, and up to 501,000 people who use IT in their day to day work.

Posted on 07 Feb 2007