HR professionals must react to the IT skills crisis with faster recruitment procedures or they will fail to keep pace with change.
This was the stark message to delegates attending the Computers in Personnel conference in London last week.
Wendell Sherrell of Nortel Networks said, “Recruiting professionals with qualifications, skills and knowledge will become increasingly difficult as the growth in Internet use continues to outstrip the number of qualified staff, particularly in IT.
“Recruitment procedures need to be quicker, more business-aligned and customer-driven to stand any chance of keeping pace with change.”
The conference, organised by the Institute of Personnel and Development and the Institute for Employment Studies, also featured seminars on IT and recruitment and choosing and using information systems.
Olga Aikin, senior partner at law firm Aikin Driver Partnership, told delegates that new technology has thrown up a range of problems for HR professionals.
Organisations are increasingly using software to detect offensive e-mails and avoid the threat of damaging legal action, she said.
More than 60 suppliers of IT products and services took part in the conference exhibition.
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