|
|
|
15 Jan 2007
Resellers have voiced concerns that the IT skills shortage is nearing crisis point, following the publication of new downbeat figures from e-skills.
Second quarter 2006 figures from the government and employer-backed organisation reveal that nearly a fifth of employers believe there is a skills gap among their IT staff, which is the highest level since late 2004.
E-skills chief executive Karen Price said she was “pleased” the government is mulling over recommendations to boost investment in training, but insisted conditions remain tough.
“The data in the e-skills Bulletin confirms that the skills gap among IT professionals and IT users remain a serious issue for employers,” she said.
That is a view echoed by resellers, who claim the situation has deteriorated further since the e-skills data was gathered.
Terry Betts, managing director of VAR CCS Media, said: “Getting good-quality staff, particularly in the sales arena, is getting tougher and tougher. It’s not been easy for two years, but in every quarter over the past 12 months it’s got harder to find good people.
“Even for the straight sale of consumables, it’s not easy. The more technical the subject, the harder it gets.”
Scott Fletcher, chief executive at VAR ANS, argued that the shortage is largely a result of the recent hike in public sector pay.
“The big difference from three years ago is the public sector has started to tempt more people in through better wages and shorter hours,” he said. “The people are there, it’s just that they’re getting sucked into the public sector.”
While Fletcher claimed ANS has side-stepped the problem by training up school-leavers, other VARs have argued that the recent skills squeeze has boosted their sales by prompting more companies to outsource.
Simon Goodenough, sales director at Oracle specialist Quantix, said: “We’ve seen our managed services business grow by 10 per cent quarter-on-quarter. This is because there is a lack of top-end skills that we can deliver as a company ourselves.”
Related articles
In this video find out about the fast-growing Chinese vendor's plans for market domination and how the channel is its route of choice
Find out what gifts Acer has in store for partners for 2012 in this exclusive roundup of its recent conference
CRN's premier networking event is back on 17 May at the Ricoh Arena
Date: Thu 17 May 2012
Channel fighters preparing to square up once more on 24 May
Date: Thu 24 May 2012
The proliferation of endpoint devices within the enterprise has highlighted the shortcomings of one of the traditional approaches to data security
This Forrester report compares the costs and benefits of legacy email and productivity software with Google Apps
Dave discovers that rozzers are seemingly living in the technology dark ages
Mark Needham, founder of distributor Widget, argues that John Browett leaves for Apple with Dixons in better shape than when he arrived
|
|
|
Do you agree?
Have your say