Hope for IT sector with new qualification

Hope for IT sector with new qualification

8.8.2008

A computer qualification will be introduced into UK colleges this autumn to help address skill deficiencies and the quality of candidates in the IT sector, a major computer manufacturer has announced.

The course has been developed over three years at the Thames Valley University and was jointly developed by the establishment and international firm Hewlett Packard.

Among the 12 colleges where the qualification will be introduced are Ealing and Reading.

Andy Smith, head of TVU's school of computing commented: "The number of school leavers entering full-time courses in computing has halved in recent years. Research suggests that 163,000 new employees will be needed in the IT profession by 2016."

He also warned that failure to tackle the skills shortage in the sector could mean losing jobs to overseas recruiters.

In other news, figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency revealed that ten per cent of IT graduates are still unemployed several months after their graduation, Computer Weekly reported.

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