IT Skills Shortage

From memory, the topic of “IT skills shortage” began occupying IT publications in the late 1990s. I suppose this made sense, as Y2K created a surge in demand, so, why, 8+ years later, is the topic still current?

The resources occupied on Y2K projects were released for other activities. Is the demand still that strong, and if so, what are we doing to address it?

Is it hype, poor training, a gap in tertiary education or something else?

Hype –the comments I read that seem designed to fuel this topic come from recruitment companies. Yes, they would have first-hand experience of the shortage, but they also have an interest in promoting the concept of a “candidate-short market”.

Poor Training – are organisations doing enough to develop people? I know of many organisations that want to hire people who are “ready to go”, which means that someone else is expected to make the investment to develop their skills and experience. If we all leave it to someone else, it won’t get done.

Gap in Tertiary Education – are the courses producing graduates who are employable, with the right skill set? The biggest challenge of IT is matching it to the business needs. A researcher from Gartner suggests renaming IT to Business Technology, which seems smart to me. Is this where tertiary courses are going?

Hiring people costs time and money. How many IT Departments or IT Companies have staff development programs that are designed to make the department more effective, the staff-member feel more valued with the result of reduced staff turnover?