Skills shortage a reality

"The objectives of the research were to identify the most pressing skills needs from a corporate perspective and to balance that with a view of the current skills capacity of practitioners and their intentions for future skills development," explains Adrian Schofield" rel=tag>Adrian Schofield, manager: Applied Research Unit, JCSE at the University of the Witwatersrand. The results of the survey will be presented at a free breakfast event on 16 September at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg.

It`s no surprise that 100% of the South African companies responding to the 2008 ITWeb-JCSE Skills Survey say that the skills shortage is either having a major impact on their business or is affecting their viability. However, the majority of respondents showed a continuing increase in ICT personnel, with most expecting the staff numbers to grow by between 10% and 50%. "If the results of the survey were extrapolated across the whole sector, they would suggest a need for another 35 000 practitioners, over and above the ones reported in the National Scarce Skills Report for 2007," says Schofield.

TRAINING

A question raised by the results of this survey is whether the South African ICT sector is exacerbating the skills shortage by requiring the average practitioner to perform several roles. This not only raises the barrier to entry for such positions, reducing the number of likely applicants, it also increases the costs of such people to their employers. Training, too, was put in the spotlight.

"Although it is not surprising that a senior executive carries responsibility for training and skills development in small enterprises, it is interesting to note how few companies have a specific training function in their structure. The exception is in companies of between 1 000 and 5 000 employees, where the training department is in clear evidence," says Schofield. The research indicates that in many cases, across all sizes of enterprise, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the line manager. While it may be argued that this person is aware of the needs of the staff within his/her control, it is more likely that the manager will have difficulty in granting time for training, against the pressures of deadlines and delivery schedules.

PEOPLE PROBLEMS

"While it can be expected that almost three-quarters of practitioners have spent five years or less in their current role, the fact that almost half have spent more than 10 years in the ICT industry suggests that there is a significant gap in the pool of younger, qualified and experience practitioners," explains Schofield. "With almost two-thirds of respondents spending five years or less with their current employer, it can be concluded that a significant proportion of employees are moving on, to seek `greener pastures`, many of them outside of South Africa."

The survey suggests that the "real" skills shortage going into 2009 can be as high as 70 000 practitioners - more than 25% of the current work force. "This gap will not be closed by retention policies or in-work skills development programmes," says Schofield. "The solution lies in the industry working together to make ICT careers more attractive to young people, in the education system devoting more resources to a relevant curriculum and in a serious investment in new entrants who will become the lifeblood of a successful and sustainable South African ICT sector."

Following on from the findings of the survey, the 2008 ICT Skills Survey breakfast seminar programme will explore the trends in current ICT job profiles, skills development methodologies and the need for ICT skills to be supported by business capabilities. The event will take place on Tuesday, 16 September 2008 at the Southern Sun Grayston in Sandton.

For more information, contact Maggie Pienaar at \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (011) 807-3294.