Working in the IT industry

Recent evidence suggests that the IT industry is poised to recover from the recession faster than any other sector.

Recent surveys by KPMG (search here for KPMG jobs) and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) show that demand for staff across the UK has risen significantly.

The future continues to look bright for graduates, provided they develop the right skills. Key among these are information systems management, business systems analysis, data security and project management.

So how do you get a foothold in this expanding jobs market? While good computer science, information technology or management degrees are still essential qualifications, it also helps to have some insight into potential growth areas.

The Government’s Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) has defined 290 different IT job roles. These are organised into categories:

• Strategy and planning – continuity management, information or systems architecture, consultancy
• Business change – project management, business process testing, change management
• Solution development and implementation – programming, analyst roles, systems integration
• Service provision and client interface – helpdesk, supporting operations or infrastructure
• Procurement – procurement management, account handling
• Ancilliary skills – teaching and training, sales and marketing.

While these loose definitions are likely to remain the same, the pace of technological development, particularly on the web, strongly suggests that there will be a whole new set of growth areas over the coming decade.

In March, the REC produced a major report, Technology 2020, identifying a series of key areas that will transform IT recruitment – creating new roles and changing the way people find jobs.

They are:

• the convergence of cloud computing
• the burden and benefits of data/memory storage and management
• the critical need for data security, disaster recovery and business continuity
• green IT and clean technology • interacting with the next generation of mobile communications and devices
• the potential growth of social networks and collaborative working
• unified communications, real-time services being delivered to one single device
• the growth of nano hardware, soft technology and pervasive computing.

Currently, a lot of research and development work into the future direction for portable devices is underway – product convergence, screen size and methods of data input; new mobile broadband and wireless capabilities; local versus cloud data storage applications; virtualisation of hardware/software; internet security and the search for ways to reduce electricity consumption.

There will be more demand for people with the right skills in future because the number of personal and business IT users will inevitably grow. There will also be a need for those who can combine technical skills with communication, finance and marketing expertise, as technology becomes more embedded in all our lives.

The current Government’s Digital Britain programme could also have a major impact on the UK jobs market. Its aims are fourfold: to modernise our communications infrastructure; develop a new legal framework; improve inclusion at all levels of society and modernise government through the use of technology.

The fact is, there are many routes into the industry. A degree is not absolutely necessary, though it will help a great deal. Development of business awareness is at least as important as acquisition of technical skills and employers will employ non-IT graduates if they show strong potential and aptitude. All the major firms offer graduate development programmes, which are an obvious way in.

Roles like project manager, database administrator, software developer and analyst are generally suitable for graduates; but if you have specific training or experience you may not need a degree to start at a junior level. Helpdesk or network engineering roles are often open to non-graduates if they have the right training.

The best course of action for those without degrees is to concentrate on getting qualified in a specialised area. Microsoft, Novell and Oracle offer their own certification courses for Windows, networking and databases, respectively. The Chartered Institute for IT and the Engineering Council also offer professional examinations. Bear in mind that the demand for a particular skill may be short term so it’s wise to broaden your experience as soon as you get the chance.