The future
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Thank you for taking an interest in our work. We Globalisation is radically changing skills needs
are delighted to be able to report so much progress around the world. For the UK, maintaining a
in our first five years as a Sector Skills Council. leadership position in the newly emerging world
However, our challenges for the future will be even order depends on:
bigger than those we have faced to date .
• A vibrant, highly skilled IT & Telecoms workforce –
Information and Communications Technology increasingly the ‘hybrid’ professionals who can
provides the engine for growth across the whole bridge both technology and business;
economy. We are fortunate that the UK has great
strengths in IT & Telecoms – from business solutions
• All leaders and managers, in all sectors,
capability to technology innovation to internet
understanding being able to manage the
exploitation to games. The sector is thriving in the
inextricable link between business strategy and
UK. For example, employment in the IT industry
technology strategy and deployment; and,
is growing at five times the national average, and • Every individual being able to use IT to maximise
140,000 entrants to the workforce are required their contribution to business and society.
each year for the next decade to meet growth and
replacement demand.
Our vision is that the UK is recognised as a global
leader in delivering business value from technology.
Yet, at the same time, the uptake of IT-related To help realise that vision, we are updating our
degrees and A-levels is declining dramatically – employer-led strategic plans for each of the four
down 50% since 2001. There are serious issues with nations of the UK, based on the findings of the major
the technology-related curriculum in schools. Too research programme ‘IT & Telecoms Insights 2008’.
many IT professionals do not yet have the technical,
business and interpersonal skills increasingly
We hope that you will be interested in contributing
required by employers for the jobs of the future.
to the development and delivery of these strategies.
The UK significantly lags behind the US in achieving
We look forward with enthusiasm to tackling the
the productivity gains of effective IT exploitation.
challenges of the next five years, and we hope you
will join us on our journey to make the UK world
class in technology skills.
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