'No end in sight' for IT skills crisis

An increasing number of UK businesses don't believe their IT professionals are up to scratch, according to the latest market report from e-skills.



Companies believe their IT staff lack higher level technical skills, while end users operate with a patchy knowledge about spreadsheets and software.



Poor computer know-how among end users is wider problem, but the number of companies finding fault with their IT staff has climbed steadily since pre-2004.



Reflecting on the first half 2006, the Sector Skills Council said the failure by the majority of firms to plan any IT training means the skills deficit is "unlikely to go away."



The crisis will worsen in the future as a "significant proportion" of businesses plan to import new technologies – WiFi, VPN – and "other challenging user systems" over the next 12 months.



E-Skills reported: "It is hard to see how, without intervention, skills gaps will do anything but increase over the near future."



For some IT staff, the 'crisis' is creating premiums in the recruitment market: "huge demand" for multi-skilled IT professionals was reported by agents in the first half this year, e-skills said.



The group's data shows more than half of IT professional vacancies were for system developers and designers – a trend recently echoed by ATSCo as a sign projects for 2007 have begun.



Karen Price, CEO of e-skills, said: "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."



Elsewhere, skills shortages were most noticeable in public sector firms, where skills gaps among IT professionals and IT users were rated at 32 and 43 respectively – with 0 being no impact and 100 being closure.