Over the past year IBM have created about 1,000 new technology, analyst and consulting jobs across the UK, but were only able to fill 80% of these because of the low quality in applicants.
Although there is an influx of graduates into the job market, IBM believes that the problem occurs at GCSE level. Stephen Leonard, Chief Executive of IBM’s UK and Ireland operations has said that the lacklustre GCSE curriculum is partly to blame.
"Our combined ability [as an industry] to identify, recruit and retain skilled candidates is weaker today than it has probably ever been," he said. "We need to do more as a country to develop more IT-capable people and we need a curriculum that is more adaptable to change over time. If we pioneer new technologies here then we can take them elsewhere, and we have a great reputation as innovators and entrepreneurs, but how do you keep that going when there are not enough people?
"We are going to have a shortfall of 20pc over the next two or three years and it is potentially going to widen further. Skills, I think, is the biggest challenge we will face in the next five years."
Recruiters also blame ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees as one of the biggest problems facing the UK, as these degrees do not train graduates in any of the necessary skills that are needed today.
Many recruitment agencies are finding it increasingly harder to fill graduate vacancies because recent graduates do not match the required skills for any of their roles.
Source: Pareto.co.uk, Monday 11th July 2011
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