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Engineering Education, Resources and Standards
News Release from: Technology Innovation Centre
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 04 March 2008
UK companies struggle to fill IT posts
Professional development modules can be studied to suit a particular interest or job skill and can be a flexible, part-time, building block to a professional development qualification or degree.
e-Skills has reported a serious shortfall in IT and telecoms skills It found 60% of UK employers are now experiencing IT skills gaps that are having an impact on their business
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 23 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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e-Skills also reported graduate numbers with IT-related degrees dropping dramatically, despite growth in IT and telecoms predicted to be five times the national average.
However, Birmingham City University's Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) is bucking this trend.
TIC Dean, Professor Ian Oakes, says: "Our experience is indicating another significant, year-on-year improvement in student intake".
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"With an additional 140,000 IT and telecoms professionals needed to keep pace with demand, TIC is playing a significant part in educating such specialists, not only on full-time, but also on part-time courses".
"With authoritative forecasts indicating 'no unskilled jobs in the UK' within a few years and opportunities evident in information and communications technologies, TIC has released its new short course and professional development listing".
The e-Skills report recommends particular attention be paid to older and lower skilled workers receiving IT-user training.
To this end TIC's short course range offers an extensive range of up-skilling opportunities.
It makes two qualification routes available.
Firstly, professional development modules can be studied to suit a particular interest or job skill and can be a flexible, part-time, building block to a professional development qualification or degree.
They may be either a Professional Development Certificate (PDC) from Edexcel, or Birmingham City University's own Certificate in Professional Studies (CPS).
Both are classed at NVQ Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework.
The second route is through TIC's academies for IT giants such as Microsoft, Cisco and HP.
These offer what is known as "vendor certification".
This comes through course modules, also studied by full-time students, which enable part-time students to obtain qualifications granted by the major IT companies.
British Airways Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chair of the e-Skills UK-CIO Board, Paul Coby, says: "UK companies have IT departments that lead the world in solving business problems by the smart use of technology".
"Our lead in these areas will disappear fast unless we radically improve our business and technology skills training at all levels".
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