SMEcentric to address skills shortage

Ambitious business support firm SMEcentric has high aims to address the growing technical skills shortage in the channel.

The firm has already secured a lucrative partnership with Cisco to match graduates of the networking giant’s 20,000-strong Network Academy with relevant channel players in the UK, and it is looking to widen its net to incorporate other vendors.

Since its launch three months ago, about 60 Cisco graduates have filled vacant positions in the channel.

Steve Burns, director of SMEcentric, said: “We have had a very positive response from VARs and we are looking to offer this to more Cisco partners.”

Burns also revealed that the firm is hoping to forge similar links with Microsoft.

“Students that have graduated from Microsoft’s IT Academy – like those from the Cisco Academy – are finding it hard to get on the first rung of the ladder because they lack industry experience,” he said. “We’re having preliminary conversations with Microsoft and hope to develop the idea further in 2007.”

Peter Turner, managing director at Cisco VAR Cisilion, which has taken on four staff through the Cisco scheme, said: “This is beneficial because it saves time in screening and evaluating staff. It would also be useful to have access to a base of Microsoft staff through SMEcentric.” 

Channel faces growing IT skills shortage crisis