tomorrow’s talent · 2 3 contents experis recognises that the employer-talent power axis is...

Plugging the IT Skills GapTomorrow’s Talent:

AN EXPERIS RESEARCH REPORT

2 3

Contents

Experis recognises that the employer-talent power axis is tilting towards the talent.

Tomorrow’s Talent are today’s undergraduates.

04 Introduction from Geoff Smith

06 Is an IT degree necessary?

10 Skills supply on-demand

14 A satisfied workforce

18 The role of the placement year

22 Do universities equip graduates with the technical skills required in today’s workplace?

26 Who is taking responsibility for technical skills shortfalls?

30 Final conclusion

31 Recommendations

34 Appendix One - About the research - About the contributors - About Experis

36 Appendix Two -The skills required by the top five IT jobs

4 5

Technology has proven its value in every corner of our lives, working its way into our workplaces, homes and pockets and continually evolving at breakneck speed. IT talent has never been in greater demand than it is now.

A skills shortage has made IT positions

the fifth most difficult role to fill

worldwide in 2012, up from eighth

in 2011. New technology trends will

continue to a challenge employers

as they seek to attract and retain the

latest IT skills.†

Experis recognises that the employer-

talent power axis is tilting towards the

talent. Tomorrow’s Talent are today’s

undergraduates.Thus the process of

turning students into able professionals

needs scrutiny for the UK to compete

successfully in the global economy.

This research was designed to establish

the status quo, with a survey based on

the perspectives of graduates working

in IT, supplemented by the views of

stakeholders from the wider ecosystem.

Certainly in respect of IT, there are large

question marks arising as to what the

IT department is for. Is it appropriate

for the emphasis to be on technology

management? A recent article in

Harvard Business Review highlighted

that the IT function needs to focus more

on information management than IT

management because that is where the

value lies. It went on to state that whilst

IT departments do IT projects reasonably

well, applying the same approach to

information services does not work.

The arrival of the ‘Cloud’ will accelerate

this shift by handling the burden of many

aspects of technology supply, thus freeing

the IT function to provide more of a

demand-focused information service.

This shift implies a reduced emphasis on

technology skills and an increased focus

on service skills. Whilst this is indeed a

trend, the need for technical skills will

not disappear. More likely the demand

will shift from the consumer-side to

technology service providers.

Service skills cannot be ignored, however,

this research focuses on the technical

skills as they are still essential.

Broadly the findings suggest that

tertiary education and the link between

universities and employers is in need of

optimisation. The pace of technology

growth coupled with economic

volatility fuelled in part by globalisation,

necessitates a rethink of our IT talent

creation approach if the UK is to evolve

from an industrial to an innovative digital

economy.

Addressing this challenge is not

straightforward because of the large

number of stakeholders involved.

However, having a baseline understanding

of where we are today will enable all

parties to address the challenge in a

coordinated manner.

I hope you find this report as informative

as I have.

Kind regards,

Geoff Smith, Managing Director,

Experis UK & Ireland

Introduction † ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey 2012

6 7

Our experience has shown that the

routes into an IT career are as varied

as the number of job roles available.

A high number of Experis clients still

expect applicants to hold a degree.

Many consider an IT degree to be

a key qualification in launching a

professional IT career.

However, the Tomorrow’s Talent

research suggests that IT degrees are

not necessarily required for a career

in this field. More than a third of the

graduates surveyed had taken a non-

IT related course and of those, 15%

had become Project Managers, 13%

are now Developers and a further 13%

heavily on organisational, leadership and

management expertise. These qualities

are equally likely to be developed in other

degree subjects and the same might be

said for analysis skills.

What is perhaps more surprising is that

Developers were within the top three IT

are working as Systems or Business

Analysts.

It may not be surprising that Project

Managers top the list of IT roles filled

by graduates in non-IT related subjects

as, although a technical understanding

may be preferable, the role relies more

Current job among those graduated with a non-IT degree

4% 4%

3%

3%

32%

Project Manager

Developer

Systems/Business Analyst

Architect

Team Leader

Infrastructure Support

Tester

Marketing

Sales

Other

15%

13%

13%

7% 6%

Is an IT degree necessary?

The subject of Project Managers: Whilst this is a noble career aspiration, graduate

expectations need to be managed. Fresh graduates arriving in the workplace expecting

to lead a team of professionals may be surprised by a reluctance to follow someone

who lacks hands-on experience.

Those wanting to pursue a people management, rather than technical role, need to be

aware that they will build credibility and gain the greatest insights if they spend the early

part of their career working for other project managers.

Project Manager

Developer


Architect

Team Leader

Infrastructure Support

Tester

Marketing

Sales

Other

continues on next page

8 9

roles filled by graduates who had not

studied IT.

One quarter of all the Developers

surveyed had not graduated in a

relevant subject, a role that primarily

requires the knowledge of at least one

programming language.

While a number of these Developers

will be self-taught or have taken

additional training, it was suggested at

our roundtable discussion that some

employers are becoming less concerned

with finding graduates with the technical

skills required for the role and instead

seeking those with softer skills, such as

interpersonal skills, who they can train up.

One survey respondent appears to be in

agreement, “IT Skills Shortage is a blown

up term. What really is short is people

with the right aptitude and acumen to

work consultatively on projects. Yes,

technical skills are important, but people

skills make projects work.”

Clearly, this is an approach best suited

for permanent roles where businesses

could make a long term investment

in an individual; though it is not out

of the question that companies will

invest tactically in the technical skills of

contractors if market supply requires it.

Despite these findings and opinions, a

large number of graduates commented

that they wished their degree had

been more practical. Several felt that a

course that equipped them with better

knowledge of specific systems and

applications would have been beneficial

to their IT career.

Business Information Technology

Computer Science

Computing

Information Technology

Other Non-IT Related Course

Other IT Related Course

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

What degree?

Conclusion“It is worth noting that whilst

anyone can teach themselves

programming, if they do not

understand the underlying

principles, they are likely to write

inelegant software that in turn

will be of poor quality.

IT degrees need to embrace

these principles of software

engineering as they are

both timeless and language-

independent. ”

- Ade McCormack, Market

Commentator

When hiring IT professionals for permanent positions, businesses may be able to overlook a lack of technical know-how in favour of applicants with other desirable attributes that show a willingness to be trained in the requisite skills.

The practicalities of such a move will depend largely on how much an employer is able to invest in training (both time and money), the sensitivity of the work and the support system in place for the learning individual.

continued from previous page

“IT Skills Shortage is a blown up term. What really is short is people with the right aptitude and acumen to work consultatively on projects. Yes, technical skills are important, but people skills make projects work.”


Is an IT degree necessary?

10 11

Today’s IT professionals are flexible in

the way they supply their skills. 73%

of Tomorrow’s Talent respondents

had taken on both contract and

permanent IT roles and one fifth of all

respondents said they had taken on

a roughly equal split of the two. This

indicates a highly flexible and adaptive

workforce that understands the merits

of both ways of working.

A job for life is a long forgotten concept

and not just in IT. With the scale of

redundancies over the past five years,

the relative job security of permanent

jobs compared to contract positions has

lessened. Contracting is not considered

as risky as it once was and when

combined with a growing confidence

among those with highly relevant skills,

albeit limited experience, Experis is

seeing a drop in the average age of a

the development of an entrepreneurial

spirit and a passion for learning might

turn out to be the most valuable assets

they acquire during their university

education.

Today’s graduates, having seen the

older generation struggle to climb the

corporate ladder, perhaps realise that

spending less time doing the work they

love and more time on corporate politics

as their ‘career’ progresses is not for

them. Freelancing enables graduates to

design their own work and fit it around

their life.

first time contractor. At the roundtable†,

it was noted that where Experis used

to expect a first time contractor to

be in their early forties, we are now

seeing a proliferation of people in their

mid-twenties with just a few years’

experience.

The growing independence among

young IT professionals may also be

the result of universities encouraging

their students to make work in an

economy that isn’t necessarily able to

provide the graduate jobs that were

once expected. For some graduates,

Skills supply on-demand


73% of Tomorrow’s Talent respondents had taken on both contract and permanent IT roles.

Over recent decades, the average age of contractors has dropped, as has the average

seniority of contractor roles. However, it is also worth noting that where contractor

responsibility for mission-critical projects or even the IT function was previously

considered risky, it has become less of a concern, especially for businesses struggling

to find senior talent.

† As part of the research, a panel of university representatives, businesses and industry bodies was gathered to discuss the survey findings. See appendix one for details.

12 13

All contract

Mostly contract

An even split between permanent and contract

Mostly permanent

All permanent

In addition to the way they supply their

skills, graduates are increasingly aware

of who they supply their skills to.

Experis has seen a marked change in

the attractiveness of big investment

banks/financial institutions. Young

graduates don’t necessarily want to

work for these types of organisations.

Big corporations are becoming less

attractive.

It appears high-profile IT outsourcing

projects have resulted in a number of

IT professionals feeling disillusioned

with large companies. The distrust was

evident in several comments from the

Tomorrow’s Talent survey:

“It’s now a waste of time for UK-based

personnel to enter the IT industry. Most

roles are either being outsourced or else

economic migrants from other countries

are displacing UK-based staff”

“I would advise people not to go into IT

working for large companies. IT is being

outsourced to India rapidly. My company

sees IT staff in the UK as an expense.”

We also asked what sectors graduates

were supplying their skills to. Almost

50% work in the IT & Internet sector,

followed by just over 10% in Banking

& Finance. This tallies with monthly

Experis Accelerate† findings, which

consistently show that the IT & Internet

sector offers, by far, the most IT

vacancies each month (around 78%),

with Banking & Finance usually being

the second biggest provider of IT job

vacancies.

The big technology players are no

doubt in a position to provide graduates

with the opportunity to be exposed to

cutting-edge technologies in a forward-

thinking environment. However, many of

the leading players are not as appealing

as they might believe, with graduates

often associating them with ‘the place

where my father/mother works’ or with

a previous generation in respect of the

evolution of the IT market.

For the Banking and Finance industry,

the challenge in attracting young IT

talent is in overcoming the negative PR

of the past few years. The sector still

has much to offer IT professionals, not

least competitive salaries. Certainly

in areas such as security, companies

within Banking and Finance can boast

being at the fore front of evolving

technologies.

In keeping with the shift in power,

graduates are unimpressed with milk-

round employers who use their time in

front of prospective employees to simply

deliver a sales pitch.

The rise of the Tech City and silicon

roundabout in London is feeding a

perception among IT professionals that

the best jobs are to be found in boutique

companies within the Media, New Media

and Creative sector. Many are attracted

by the casual, flexible and creative

working environment these companies

portray.

Regardless of size and industry, employers have to be realistic about how they are perceived by young people and consequently work harder to be more attractive.

In previous research by Experis ‘Attitudes to work among IT and Finance professionals in the UK’ (March 2012), flexibility and a work-life balance was found to be one of the most important aspects of a role, ranking higher than ‘a competitive package’.

In a socially enabled world, employers need to lead with their brand and prove to prospective employees what they can offer beyond salary and benefits.

Conclusion


Skills supply on-demand

Of the jobs you have held, what is the split between permanent and contract?

Regardless of size and industry, employers have to be realistic about how they are perceived by young people and consequently work harder to be more attractive.

† Accelerate provides the latest trends and findings across the IT recruitment market

8%

26.8%

20.8%

25.6%

18.8%

14 15

4.4%9.8% 11.7%

39% 29.4%

3.1%5.1% 6%

9.2% 12%

10.8% 10.1%

1.9% 1.9% 2.5%

A satisfied workforceThe results paint a generally positive

picture of the graduate IT workforce,

even on the subject of pay and benefits.

This suggests that the respondents are

finding the right work-life balance; the

flexible way in which IT professionals

are supplying their skills is likely a

contributing factor.

Over 90% feel their job allows them to

apply their knowledge and skills.

64% somewhat or strongly agree that they

are fairly compensated financially.


Overall, I have job satisfaction

I am able to apply my knowledge and skills My role is challenging My workload is

manageable

I am fairly compensated financially

I am happy with my benefits package

I am happy with the career opportunities

available to me

We asked Tomorrow’s Talent respondents to rate the extent to which they agreed with a number of statements relating to job satisfaction.

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Neither agree or disagree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

21.6%

42.5%

16.2%

12.7%

12.7%

58.5%

32.1%

38% 28.9%

14.3% 14.2%

45.3% 50.8%

17.7%

11.7%

2.5%

22.2%

42.1%

26.7%

34.2%

64%AGREE

91%AGREE

83%AGREE

80%AGREE

64%AGREE

41%AGREE

48%AGREE

16 17

One of the most interesting results came

when asking whether respondents were

happy with the career opportunities

available to them. Almost 30% were not

sure, indicating some uncertainty around

career paths and progression.

This might be attributed to weak or

insufficient careers advice at university

and beyond. Respondents also point

towards poor awareness of the types of

IT roles they might go into.

“When I graduated, IT = The Developer.

That was the only role I associated

with IT. It wasn’t until I started work

that I began to learn about other roles:

Test Analyst, Systems Analyst, Project

Manager, Delivery Manager, QA, etc.”

“It might have been useful to learn more

about the range of jobs... I’d never heard

of the role that I now perform.”

For now, the graduate IT workforce appears to be largely happy; however, the

uncertainty around career opportunities may indicate trouble ahead once these

professionals outgrow their current roles. Both employers and universities might

seek to offer more thorough career guidance to help graduates understand their

options.

For universities this could focus on narrowing down areas of specialism or

matching the individual’s skill set to various roles, whereas employers should

support their employees in planning their career path and reflecting on their

personal development.

Where knowledge about progression opportunities is poor, individuals and

employers should consider external sources of advice.

It could be said that by failing to market the diversity of available roles, the IT

industry has a branding issue; one that universities are inadvertently propagating.

In a talent-short world, this needs to be addressed. Countries that fail do so risk

becoming economic backwaters.

Conclusioncontinued from previous page

Almost 30% of respondents were not sure whether they were happy with the career opportunities available to them.

A satisfied workforce

18 19

Recent high levels of graduate

unemployment have dashed the notion

that a good quality degree will suffice

in respect of securing employment. In

today’s labour markets, experience is

vital and begs the question whether

degrees with a placement year

provide the best preparation for the

workplace.

Out of the Tomorrow’s Talent survey

respondents, more than a fifth had taken

a placement year. When asked how

well the placement year had prepared

them for their IT career, 81% felt it

had somewhat or very well prepared

them. In comparing this to the 44% of

respondents that somewhat or strongly

agreed that their degree prepared them

for their role, our findings suggest that

a placement year can significantly

enhance a student’s preparation for the

workplace.

In fact, the perception of whether their

degree had prepared them for work was

affected by whether the respondent

had taken a placement year, rising to

experience”

Many graduates feel that a better

partnership between universities and the

workplace, such as through placements,

would also enhance learning and

understanding of IT courses.

“Once there is an appreciation of

how people work in the real world,

it is much easier to relate parts of a

course’s materials to useful ends in the

workplace.”

There is a perception that the onus is

on universities to promote placements

more; however, at the roundtable

discussion it was pointed out that

universities can only do so much

and that “students don’t prioritise

placements as much as they should.

Most don’t see engaging with the

workplace as something important to do.

52% agreement among those who had,

compared to 41% among those who

had not.

When asked how universities might

improve the market relevance of their

courses, one respondent suggested

that, “Universities should try in some

way to make the taught part of the

course more like the placement year”.

It was very clear that among the

surveyed graduates, there was a high

opinion of the usefulness of placements.

“All university first degrees would benefit

from having placements, whether a year

or shorter.”

“Experience always wins the jobs in this

game, I have seen it time and again. Get

grads part time placements, if possible.

The degree only works if backed up by

The role of the placement year


“Experience always wins the jobs in this game, I have seen it time and again... The degree only works if backed up by experience”

Architect

Very underprepared

Somewhat underprepared

Not sure

Somewhat prepared

Very well prepared

My placement year prepared me for my role

Employers are increasingly interested to know what else graduates are involved in and

those who have done placements become more attractive.

36.2%

4.3%4.3%

10.1%

44.9%

20 21

A lot are not too sure what they’ll end up

doing and find the application process

long and arduous.”

It was agreed that, with the rising cost

of university, individuals are going to be

more career focussed when undertaking

a course and aware of how a placement

year can affect their future employability.

An attendee at our roundtable from

Aston University told about the way the

university has embraced placements,

aiming to raise their current take-up of

placement years from 70% to 100%.

They credit the balance of theory-based

learning and practical experience with

their high level of graduate employability.

There is also a significant benefit for

employers that offer placements to

university students; it provides an early

opportunity to engage with prospective

employees, establish themselves as

an employer of choice and begin a

longer-term relationship with tomorrow’s

IT workforce. Promising placement

students can be offered an incentive

to return after their studies to take up

a permanent position and would have

the option of tailoring their final year

studies to match the company or role

objectives. Even if the employer does

not wish or is not in a position to offer a

permanent role, the experience can still

be used to sell the employer brand and

affect the future career decisions of the

placement student, their friends, peers

and colleagues.

Interestingly, despite helping to prepare

graduates for the workplace, once in a

role, there is no discernible difference

in the way those that took a placement

and those that did not, rate their job

satisfaction, workload management,

career opportunities or happiness with

their pay and benefits.

Placements are a practical way of exposing students to the real world, even though there is a risk that their view of a career in IT will be strongly coloured for better or worse by their first exposure to the market.

Universities could improve the market relevance of their courses by offering more sandwich-courses; this might also improve their graduate employability. Placement years and their benefits could be better promoted by universities to drive uptake among undergraduates as would a simplified or centralised application process.

For employers who are serious about building a quality talent pool of IT graduates, they should consider early engagement by offering placements to IT students.

It is important that placements are thought through as they will have a formative impact on the career of the undergraduate. A year of menial work designed to keep the student busy and out of mischief with the minimum interruption of real work is likely to create disillusionment. Employers that participate in such programmes need to be vetted and briefed so that the placement has the net effect of delivering a valuable and inspiring experience.

Some will argue that placements should reflect the reality of work and that “we all had to serve our apprenticeship”. We have to accept that today the talent holds the economic power and as such employers and the IT industry need to raise their game to ensure the best talent is secured.

Conclusion


Strongly disagree 19

1015

17

25

2126

33

1519

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

Placements offer employers an early opportunity to engage with prospective employees.

Graduates without placement Graduates with placement

My degree prepared me for my role %

22 23

Do universities equip graduates with the technical skills required in today’s workplace?

Many people view a university

education as a means of training for

their future career, with some subjects

leaning more towards vocational

learning than others.

With a foundation in the technical, IT

courses are no doubt more directly

associated with a specific career

path than subjects such as English.

Therefore, it makes sense that IT

graduates should expect that their

course has somewhat prepared them

for a career in IT.

We asked respondents what five IT skills

were most relevant to their current role

and how well they felt their degree had

equipped them with these skills.

Disregarding neutral answers (not sure

or unrated), a net satisfaction score was

calculated for each skill, with a maximum

of +100 and a minimum of -100.

Of the top 20 skills, universities are most

consistent in equipping students with

Java skills, representing a +59 point

satisfaction score. This is followed by

Windows user device skills (+55) and

Business and Systems Analysis skills

(+48).

The most poorly equipped skills in the

top 20, are Scrum (-45) and Testing Tools

(-29).

That none of the top 20 skills are

breaking +60 and very few passing +50

satisfaction points could be indicative

that university courses are not covering

the pertinent skills required in the

workplace.

However, it may be more symptomatic

of the course and module decisions

of the individual. Are these decisions

undertaken with a specific role in mind?

And if they are, do students know

enough about workplace demands to

make the best study decisions?

As we have already seen, respondents

have suggested there is a lack of careers

advice, poor awareness of the variety

of available IT roles before entering

the workplace and general confusion

about their career path, “IT is such a

big industry, it’s hard to know what you

will end up specialising in”. If course

selections are poorly informed with

regards to their applications in the real

world, or indeed not motivated by this at

all, it is perhaps of little surprise that IT

professionals are not picking up the skills

they need at university.

There are also questions over how

practical it is for universities to keep

up with the emerging skills of such a

fast-moving industry. One respondent

comments, “The industry is getting to

the stage where new technologies are

being released every two years, whilst

a university degree takes three years to

complete. This lag can massively impact

prospective graduates in terms of their

skills based CV.”

At the roundtable it was noted that

although university course content is

reviewed summarily on an annual basis,

more significant course and module

updates take place much less frequently

(every 5-10 years).

Another challenge faced by universities

that do seek to keep on top of the latest

Most frequently applied skills among IT graduates

Equ

ippe

d sc

ore

1 Business / systems analysis 48

2 Project management 14

3 Documentation 18

4 Team leadership -6

5 Applications - Enterprise - Microsoft 34

6 IT Service management 26

7 Testing tools -29

8 Information management - Database - MS SQL Server 33

9 ITIL 18

10 Architecture 13

11 Information management - Database - Oracle 24

12 Applications - Web tools - Java 59

13 Infrastructure - Datacentre - Unix 12

14 Applications - Web tools - Javascript -9

15 Infrastructure - Datacentre - Servers 9

16 Infrastructure - Datacentre - Virtualisation -14

17 Infrastructure - Datacentre - Windows 9

18 Applications - Other - Scrum -45

19 Infrastructure - User device - Windows 55

20 Applications - Enterprise - Oracle 37

Top 20 skills


“The industry is getting to the stage where new technologies are being released every two years, whilst a university degree takes three years to complete. This lag can massively impact prospective graduates in terms of their skills based CV.”

Architect

24 25

technological breakthroughs is the

difficulty in attracting knowledgeable

lecturers to teach the courses. People

with new, sought after skills (for example,

HTML5) can earn a premium through

contracting, making it tricky for the

education sector to compete for their

talent. There is the added consideration

that it may not be in that individual’s

best interest to pass on their skills

through teaching as it would diminish the

premium they’re able to command.

It’s not just new and emerging skills

that can be difficult to find, what about

legacy skills? There is still a very real

demand for legacy systems maintenance

and a diminishing number of available

people qualified to take the reins. If the

role of universities was simply to train

individuals for the workplace, there

would be an argument for the continued

teaching of these older skills, though this

appears short-sighted.

It may be suggested that the best

approach for universities is to

concentrate their curriculum on

providing a broad understanding of the

IT fundamentals. Graduates then leave,

not just with the skills relevant to today’s

workplace, but the skills of analysis that

will enable them to teach themselves

new skills as they emerge, effectively

future-proofing their career.

At the roundtable, this was largely

the way universities see their role in

an individual’s education and some

graduates demonstrate that they see the

relationship in a similar way:

“I think a degree is a starting point, being

proof of ‘an apititude for learning’ which

has to continue through life. In my own

experience, the actual degree subject

taken is only relevant to the first (and

maybe second) professional post.”

Regardless of the reasoning behind

this stance on education, our research

showed quite markedly that graduates

want universities to provide practical

learning with real world applications,

“Universities must work closely with

professionals in the industry to find out

what skills are needed and reflect that in

the courses.”

Now that students incur substantial

costs to acquire a degree, they expect

a certain guaranteed quality of service.

However, they need to understand

that it is not simply a case of pay the

money, turn up to lectures, acquire

the degree and fall into a good career.

Ultimately universities need to instil

a curiosity and a passion for learning

that causes students to go beyond

the syllabus and design their own skill

profile optimised for their ideal career.

A degree should provide the basis for a

lifelong commitment to adapt to the ever

changing demands of the IT industry.

That stated, universities need to be

more data-driven regarding the return

students should expect from investing in

their courses.

Universities at the roundtable suggested that even with higher fees, not all undergraduates are giving serious thought to their employability post-study and might be wasting opportunities available to them. To get the most from an IT degree, individuals must evaluate their course and module decisions in light of the career they wish to pursue.

In addition, employers must be more open about what skills they are looking for to allow individuals to make informed study decisions and universities to tailor their course content, if they see fit.

Universities could be more explicit about the real-world applications for each module or the skills that graduates can expect to come away with. They could also reduce the time between course content reviews to better meet the pace of the industry.

Universities need to reflect on who the customer is and what service they are providing. In this fast moving, attention-deficient, economically-challenging era, if universities are not careful, their economic model may become outdated as young people turn to self-learning, apprenticeship schemes and other training to pick up skills for the workplace.

In terms of who the customer is, this could be the academic world, which needs to continuously restock their researchers and professors. Equally, it could be the students who are paying good money and expect a certain level of service. Or perhaps it is employers, many of whom will find another country to locate to if they cannot find the workforce needed to achieve their strategic objectives.

A balance between the needs of the academic world and the needs of employers is required. Students need to evaluate potential IT courses in the context of whether they intend to have an academic or industrial career.


Do universities equip graduates with the technical skills required in today’s workplace?

Students must understand that it is not simply a case of pay the money, turn up to lectures, acquire the degree and fall into a good career.

To get the most from an IT degree, individuals must evaluate their course and module decisions in light of the career they wish to pursue.

The digital economy is disrupting business models, society and career paths. Graduates

need to be equipped to track and navigate this uncertainty so that they do not skill

themselves into a career cul-de-sac.

Conclusion

26 27

Of those, two thirds invested their own

money to do this, paying for things like

subscriptions, learning materials or

training courses.

Given the rising cost of higher

education, if individuals are finding

that on top of that, they are having

to invest further to supplement their

skills, is there a risk of them bypassing

tertiary education altogether? While

a technically specific training course

might allow them to cut costs, might the

individual also risk their ability to adapt

to emerging technologies if they haven’t

gained analysis skills from a university

education?

Just 1.6% of the graduates surveyed

had been through an employer graduate

training programme; at the roundtable,

one university asked, “are employers

If we accept that universities are

unable to fully equip individuals for

the workplace, we must ask where the

responsibility lies for bringing people

up to speed with the technical skills

their career will demand from them.

When asked what their employer had

done to make up for any shortfall in their

skill set, more than a third of Tomorrow’s

Talent respondents commented that

their employer had done nothing. On the

job experience was the most popular

way of employers making up shortfalls,

followed by internal training. Just a

quarter of employers are reported to

have invested in external training.

Three quarters of the respondents

have supplemented their skills beyond

their university course or employer

investment to meet a skills shortfall.

Who is taking responsibility for technical skills shortfalls?


Internal training

External training

Coaching

Private study time

On the job experience

Graduate training programme

Nothing

What has your employer done to make up any shortfall in the skills needed to perform your role?

40

49

24

15 15

2

%

35

28 29

worried about attrition rates with

graduates? If employers are seen as a

training provider post-university, how

many companies can sustain this?”

The cause of attrition was debated,

with some believing it to be more a

problem of poor employee engagement

– employers must make themselves

an attractive proposition to attract and

retain talent. But even attrition doesn’t

tell the whole story; how realistic is

it that one employer will be able to

fulfil all of an individual’s development

requirements throughout their career?

We discussed this at the roundtable and

found out about one company’s outlook

on managing talent:

“My company is happy to train up

graduates who may leave afterwards

to develop their skills further with other

businesses. However, we hope that

individual will return one day and enrich

the corporation at a later time with

the wider knowledge they’ve gained

elsewhere”

This longer term talent strategy is

only possible for employers that have

nurtured their employee and alumni

relationships, earning a trustworthy

reputation that encourages ongoing

loyalty. It’s a strategy that implies a

shared investment between an employer

and an individual into developing the

skills and experience required for the

workplace.

There may also be ways to narrow the

skills shortfall from the university side.

Some graduates entertained the notion

that professional certifications could

be offered within traditional degree

programmes to increase their market

relevance.

What was even more strongly

recommended from graduates was

a closer link between industry and

institutions so that universities deliver

courses that are better matched to the

IT working landscape, thereby reducing

the need to supplement skills shortfalls.

The individual must take ultimate responsibility for their technical skills as they are, of course, best placed to decide what they study and what career they pursue. However, universities have a duty and employers, a vested interest, in working together to narrow the gap between the skills taught and the skills required in the workplace.

Universities need to move onto a faster clock-speed. Reviewing a Classics degree once a decade may make sense, but for an IT degree such a period may see many technologies come and go. Now that universities have entered the free-market by virtue of their pricing, they need to be very sensitive to the value they are delivering to both students and employers.

Employers too need to play their part in reducing the friction and time associated with the transition from university to value-creating employment. Universities and employers need to work together on this, otherwise the UK will slide down the economic tables being overtaken by emerging economies who have got their act together in skills planning.

Conclusion


Longer term talent strategies are only possible for employers that have nurtured their employee and alumni relationships.

30 31

Final conclusion

The Tomorrow’s Talent survey and

roundtable has highlighted many issues

that will affect the availability of skilled

professionals for the future workplace:

f Ambiguity over what skills and qualities

employers are looking for and what

they are willing to invest in up-skilling

f Practicalities of universities keeping up

with technology changes

f Limited advice and information to

inform IT careers decisions

In addition, a shift in the power balance

between companies and IT professionals

is causing employers to rethink the way

they attract and retain talent.

f IT degrees are not necessarily required for a career in this field

f 73% of respondents have taken both contract and permanent roles

f Respondents mostly positive about their job satisfaction, role, pay and

career opportunities

f Respondents demonstrate uncertainty about career opportunities (29.4%)

f 81% of those that took a placement year felt it prepared them for the

workplace

f 44% respondents felt their degree prepared them for the workplace

Joining up education and business

A closer, transparent relationship

between businesses and institutions is

strongly recommended. Placements are

recognised as excellent preparation for

the workplace and further promotion

and availability is crucial.

The opportunity for formal learning

alongside work experience may perfectly

balance graduate demands for ‘more

practical’ learning at the same time as

equipping individuals with the theoretical

understanding that will help them adapt

as new technologies emerge. continues on next page

Recommendations

Report Headlines

32 33

In a break from the traditional sandwich

course structure of work placements,

alternative ways of offering opportunities

to learn in both environments are:

f Professional apprenticeships

f A system whereby students are

encouraged to seek out their

employer of choice prior to applying

to university and to mutually agree

where best to study and how they

will acquire the skills the employer

requires

f Modular work experience for the

length of university courses to

provide ongoing development of

academic and situational learning

environments

Consumers of talent must also be more

explicit about what they are looking for

so that universities can plan accordingly.

This includes the technical skills, the

broader skills and anticipated hiring

volumes.

Bridging the skills shortfall

There is some debate over whether

a university’s role is to prepare their

students for the workplace or provide

an education. There may be potential to

introduce a middle-man function where

graduates are trained for the work place.

This is a growing sector in India.

There may also be some benefit in

replacing the traditional graduate

scheme with a multi-company, multi-

role rotational system. It would allow

an individual to trial various positions,

gain a broad business understanding

and ensure they pursue a career that’s

right for them. Participating companies

could see how the graduates perform in

real working conditions and fit in to the

company culture before offering them a

permanent position.

Effective careers advice

Not enough is being done to inform IT

career decisions and there is confusion

over the opportunities and roles

available in this sector.

A better careers advice service

activated at an earlier age, bringing

together secondary schools, colleges,

universities and employers should

provide a clearer picture of the options

available. Careers advice should not be

limited to students, but rather individuals

should be encouraged to plan their

career path throughout their education

and employment.

Parents who are, in many cases,

shouldering or part-shouldering the

rising cost of higher education are

going to have a greater say in the

education and career decisions of their

children. Perhaps more can be done to

educate parents and involve them in an

enhanced careers advice service.

A greater investment in internships

would also inform IT career decisions.

If the scheme could be expanded to

14-16 year olds it would provide an early

opportunity to influence these decisions

by exposing them to the varied and

exciting roles available.

In our role as an intermediary between business and professional IT talent, Experis has a duty to provide careers guidance. We have a better idea than most about the variety of roles and career paths open to IT graduates and an understanding of the skills and qualities that the industry is looking for.

A new Tomorrow’s Talent careers programme is being launched that will see Experis offer our services to universities and students to provide advice and support around entering the workplace. We are also open to collaboration with employers and institutions around developing skills in the workplace.


Final conclusion

The opportunity for formal learning alongside work experience may perfectly balance graduate demands for ‘more practical’ learning at the same time as equipping individuals with the theoretical understanding that will help them adapt as new technologies emerge.

Not enough is being done to inform IT career decisions and there is confusion over the opportunities and roles available in this sector.

Experis commitments

34 35

The aim of the research was to

identify the challenges facing the IT

industry in securing IT talent, with

particular focus on technical skills.

We were interested in building a

picture of graduate experiences of

university and the workplace and then

inviting comment and debate from

universities, employers and other

stakeholders.

With input from CWJobs, Ade

McCormack and the National Skills

Academy for IT, Experis designed an

online survey that was sent to more than

45,000 graduates that had previously

registered with CWJobs or Experis.

The questionnaire featured a variety

of closed and open questions to

enable us to gather both statistics and

opinions. We collected 319 responses in

November 2012.

Once the survey closed, a small panel

of industry experts and stakeholders

was invited to Experis House in London

to discuss the early findings. Ade

McCormack led the roundtable; the

panel comprised:

CWJobs.co.uk is the leading specialist IT recruitment website serving

contract and permanent IT jobseekers throughout the UK and Ireland.

The site draws over 437,000 unique users each month, attracted

by the opportunity to search an average of more than 11,500 IT job

opportunities at any one time.

Ade McCormack is an author, market commentator and advisor on digital leadership.

He is an opinion columnist at the Financial Times, advising business leaders on IT

issues and also lectures on digital leadership at MIT Sloan School of Management on

their MBA programme. Ade acted as a consultant to Experis on this report.

Appendix One About the contributors

About the research

Carrie Hartnell Intellect

Nicola Turner Aston University

Bob Clift E-Skills UK

Alex Middlemiss BBC

Adam Thilthorpe BCS Academy

Virginia Williams City University

Mike Black CWJobs

Jeremy Hay Campbell Manpower

Gemma Northover Experis

Geoff Smith Experis

Experis is the global leader in professional resourcing and project-based workforce solutions. Our suite of services range from interim and permanent recruitment to managed services and consulting, enabling businesses to achieve their goals.

We accelerate organisational growth by attracting, assessing and placing specialised professional talent. Experis operates in more than 50 countries and works with over 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500, deploying 38,000 skilled professionals every day.

About Experis

The aim of the research was to identify the challenges facing the IT industry in securing IT talent, with particular focus on technical skills. We were interested in building a picture of graduate experiences of university and the workplace and then inviting comment and debate from universities, employers and other stakeholders.

36 37

As well as being the most common job

among survey respondents, developers

consistently top both contract and

permanent vacancies in monthly Experis

Accelerate reports, indicating large

demand for these professionals.

December’s Accelerate report† showed

that the average salary for MS SQL server

specialists was £38,264 or an average daily

rate of £305. This compares to £47,779

(£380) for Java and £39,324 (£314) for .Net

or C# specialists.

The average salary for project managers

in the December Accelerate report was

£51,905 per annum with an average

daily rate for contractors of £402.

Month-on-month, project managers are

within the top five roles by vacancies

posted (both permanent and contract

positions), indicating strong demand from

employers.

Architects are frequently the second

most popular role by number of

permanent vacancies posted each month

according to Experis Accelerate reports.

For contracting, architects are usually the

fifth most popular position.

Developer was the top job among

survey respondents (17.8%). The degree

subject producing the most developers

is Computer Science: 36% of developers

studied this subject; a further 25% of

developers studied a non-IT related subject

MS SQL Server is the most widely used

skill among developers, but web tool

applications dominate the top 10 skills

required by the role.

Systems and Business Analyst

represented 14% of the graduate

respondents. A large number of systems

and business analysts did not take an IT-

related degree (34%), outnumbering those

that studied Computer Science (19.5%),

Business Information Technology (12.2%)

or Information Technology (12.2%).

At almost 12%, Project Manager was

the third most prevalent job title among

respondents. A large number of project

managers (43%) had a degree in a non-IT

related subject; 19% studied Computer

Science and 14% took Business

Information Technology.

Although 30% of architects in our survey

had studied Computer Science, almost

as many (27%) had taken a non-IT related

degree.

Out of each of the top five roles identified

by the survey, infrastructure support roles

have the fewest graduates who studied a

non-IT related course: just over 15% did

not have an IT degree. The most common

degree subjects taken were Computer

Science, Business Information Technology

or Information Technology.

Appendix Two:

The skills required by the top five IT jobs

Top skills for developers

% o

ccur

ence

w

ithin

top

five

Skills

Information management - Database - MS SQL Server 7.6

Applications - Web tools - Javascript 5.9

Applications - Web tools - Java 5.5

Applications - Web tools - C Sharp 4.2

Applications - Web tools - CSS 4.2

Applications - Web tools - HTML 5 4.2

Applications - Other - OO Design 3.8

Applications - Web tools - .NET 3.8

Applications - Web tools - XML 3.8

Applications - Web tools - J2EE 3.4

Top skills for systems/business analysts

% o

ccur

ence

w

ithin

top

five

Skills

Business / systems analysis 15.5

Documentation 9.2

IT Service management 4.6

ITIL 4.6

Testing tools 4

Applications - Enterprise - Microsoft 3.4

Applications - Enterprise - Sap 3.4

Information management - Database - MS SQL Server 3.4

Project management 3.4

Information management - Database - Excel 2.9

Top skills for project managers

% o

ccur

ence

w

ithin

top

five

Skills



Team leadership 9.1

Prince 7.8

Documentation 5.8

Architecture 3.9

ITIL 3.9


Testing tools 3.2

Information management - Database - Oracle 2.6

Top skills for architects

% o

ccur

ence

w

ithin

top

five

Skills



Team leadership 9.1

Prince 7.8

Documentation 5.8

Architecture 3.9

ITIL 3.9


Testing tools 3.2

Information management - Database - Oracle 2.6

Top skills for infrastructure support specialists

% o

ccur

ence

w

ithin

top

five

Skills

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Unix 6.72

Infrastructure - User device - Windows 6.72

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Lan 5.88

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Linux 5.88

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Servers 5.88

Applications - Enterprise - Microsoft 5.04

Infrastructure - Datacentre - TCP/IP 5.04

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Storage 4.2

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Virtualisation 4.2

Infrastructure - Datacentre - Windows 4.2

Developer Systems/Business Analyst Project Manager Architect Infrastructure Support Specialist

† Accelerate provides the latest trends and findings across the IT recruitment market

38 39

About Experis & the ManpowerGroup

Experis IT

We deliver skilled IT professionals to fit your business, including:

Application Developers, Business Analysts, Project Managers, CIOs

and CTOs.

Experis Finance

Our recruiters will help you find the expert finance and accounting

talent you need, including: Accountants, Budget Analysts, Controllers,

Internal Auditors, Financial Analysts, Tax Managers and CFOs.

Experis Engineering

We work with a broad range of specialised engineering talent across

many disciplines, including: Aerospace, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil,

Computer and Electronics, Energy, Environmental and Nuclear.

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the

world leader in innovative workforce

solutions, creates and delivers high-

impact solutions that enable our clients to

achieve their business goals and enhance

their competitiveness.

With over 60 years of experience, our $22

billion company creates unique time to

value through a comprehensive suite of

innovative solutions that help clients win in

the Human Age. These solutions cover an

entire range of talent-driven needs from

recruitment and assessment, training and

development, and career management, to

outsourcing and workforce consulting.

ManpowerGroup maintains the world’s

largest and industry-leading network of

nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries

and territories, generating a dynamic mix

of an unmatched global footprint with

valuable insight and local expertise to

meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per

year, across all industry sectors, small

and medium-sized enterprises, local,

multinational and global companies.

The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions

is offered through ManpowerGroup

Solutions, Experis™, Manpower® and

Right Management®.

Learn more about how the

ManpowerGroup

can help you win in the Human Age at:

manpowergroup.com

For more insight from the ManpowerGroup, visit www.manpowergroup.com/research

Experis™ is the global leader in professional resourcing and project-based

workforce solutions. We have the deep industry knowledge to understand the

challenges you face and the access to highly skilled professionals to help you

seize opportunities.

From interim and permanent recruitment to managed services and consulting,

we deliver high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their goals.

experis.com

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