Training is still as vital as ever, warns an HR expert. Just because the pool of recruits is bigger doesn't mean the skills are there.
The government's drive to encourage IT training is in danger of being derailed by an industry belief that the economic downturn will increase the availability of skilled staff, according to a top consultant.
Alan Stevens, author of an influential report into government strategy, warned that moves to address the skills shortage could lose momentum because of a misguided belief that redundancies caused by the current economic downturn would increase the pool of recruits and end skills shortages.
"There's a real danger that we'll lose focus of the need to make the supply of skills sensitive to market demand, particularly in the telecoms sector," explained Stevens. "The need for scarce practitioner skills is still there."
There is a need for more collaboration between industry, educational institutions and training bodies to tackle the skills shortage, Stevens added. He said that the threat is happening just as the government's strategy to tackle IT skills shortages is getting back on track Â-- following a year of delay as industry tackled the millennium bug.
The government is planning to replace the National Training Organisations (NTOs) with industry sector-specific skills councils next year, a move outlined in the 1999 Stevens report. The skills councils are intended to build stronger links between employers and government, giving industry a greater say in the training agenda.
"It's structurally a huge step in the right direction and will provide a real focus for industry's energies as well as any public sector money," said Stevens. "The penny has dropped and ministerial support has been very positive. It's now a matter of helping organisations and seeing where it works," he added.
In-house training also seems to be on the increase. A new report suggests that UK firms are continuing to invest in the development of IT skills despite the economic downturn and tighter budgets.
Employees receive on average between six and ten days' training a year, with IT teams faring best, according to a study conducted by IT services company CMG Admiral at the World Open Learning Conference and Exhibition in October.
The vast majority of the 150 respondents --Â 82 percent Â-- said they were still investing in training, although the need to cut costs was driving demand for electronic-based training systems. Almost half of all companies now use e-learning to increase efficiency and reach remote workers.
