Combating
skills shortages for the Information age is the title of the e-skills
Employers Charter, produced in response to research published by the e-skills
NTO, which showed that the skills shortage could be eased by addressing the poor
image of IT, broadening recruitment into the industry and by increasing the
provision of work experience placements. Here is the charter in full.
A million extra trained professionals are needed in IT in the next five years.
Without UK wide industry action to address this need growth will slow and the
UK will fail to reach its potential. As employers we will not be able to fill
our vacancies and we will lose business.
As employers of IT professionals we are therefore committed to taking immediate
action.
*
Current recruitment practices will not give us access to the skilled people we
will need. We will work with the NTO’s to identify the potential for recruiting
people into IT professional roles from recruitment pools currently under used.
*
Some people, from a very young age, develop a negative image of careers in IT.
They think that the industry is for "nerds" only or are just very
confused by what we do. This image dramatically reduces the number of people
considering careers in IT. We will work with the NTO’s to look at ways to
overcome this. Specifically we will:
* Consider whether it is possible to standardise job titles
across IT in the UK;
* Look at ways we can help schools to inspire young
children in IT;
* Review the way we advertise for jobs. We recognise that
changing the wording or the placing of an advertisement can make a dramatic
difference to the number of women (for example) who apply;
* Recognise the power of dramatic media. We will help
writers better understand the excitement of the industry. We may not save the
world everyday but it is an exciting industry and we can claim the credit for
changing the way everyone lives; and
* Compare our personnel practices with other successful
organisations (particularly those that are more successful at recruiting and
retaining women) and consider whether we can improve. To recruit and retain the
best people we must have the best personnel practices.
Work
Experience is a valuable way for people to find out whether they are suited to
a career in IT. We will work with the NTO’s to find ways to offer more quality
placements.
To
find out more about the charter, visit the e-skills NTO website at www.e-skillsnto.org.uk
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