Outsourcing IT functions abroad is contributing to a skills shortage at home, according to a recent survey by Computer Weekly.
78% of the surveys respondents, including some IT contractors working through umbrella companies, said they believed outsourcing was negatively impacting the collective IT skills set in the UK.
A lot of respondents believe intra-company visas are contributing to this loss of skills as multi-national companies bring in lower-cost employees from countries like India where there is a large pool of skilled workers who are prepared to work for low wages.
Around 40,000 IT professionals in the UK are currently unemployed and a lot more are in jobs that do not relate to their qualifications. Despite this, Computer Weekly says the UK needs another 100,000 people to get IT qualifications if the sector is not going to suffer serious skills shortages over the coming few years. Across Europe as a whole, the skills shortage is predicted to be as high as 700,000.
One of the IT professionals who responded to the survey urged the government to put a stop to the IT scam that allows inexperienced graduate trainees to be brought to this country from India and give home grown talent a chance instead. Apparently a lot of respondents made a similar call.
Another respondent pointed out that employers no longer provide on the job training and expect candidates to be able to fit straight in to their role. Others said the government should be investing more money in technology and innovation as well as increasing its efforts to promote the importance of IT to those still at school.
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Image: Supplies Shortage Tokyo by Danny Choo
