Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of UK IT decision makers believe STEM and the need for young IT talent are one of the main technology issues for enterprises in 2017.
New research from IP EXPO Europe surveyed 500 IT departments within businesses across the UK revealing that 55 percent of respondents currently believe the lack of young talent at their organisation is an issue while 26 percent state that they are more worried about not having enough young talent in the workforce now than a year ago.
According to 70 percent of ITDMs, the UK government should be doing more to encourage students and young people to enter professions in technology. Over a third (35 percent) are demanding more direct investment to solve the issue. More than a quarter (27 percent) claim that the recent Brexit vote could lead to a skills shortage of qualified IT pros.
Cyber-security (27 percent) and coding (27 percent) were identified as the STEM skills believed to be the most in demand in the future. AI came in at 15 percent, big data and data analytics at nine percent, and DevOps skills at four percent.
“For the last couple of years, the lack of STEM skills has been a key area for debate throughout the IP EXPO series of events. The research results show that the recent Brexit vote has exacerbated the concern over the available talent pool. For all of our exhibitors at this year's IP EXPO Europe, having access to top IT talent is critical for the evolution and success of their businesses. This year, we're working with a number of companies, including HPE, to further the discussion on what can be done to address the skills gap, boost STEM skills in the UK and future proof the UK IT industry”, said Bradley Maule-ffinch, director of strategy for IP EXPO Europe.
Forty-one percent of ITDMs feel today's graduates lack in not only baseline experience, such as apprenticeships and work study, but also (34 percent) that they arrive with obsolete knowledge and that the school curricula is failing to keep up with technology used in the enterprise.
Almost a third (30 percent) of respondents claim that graduates just aren't technically minded enough. Organisations are attempting to plug the gaps, with 53 percent of ITDMs spending a decent portion of their day (between four to 10 hours) on training each of their young employees.
“If the battle for engineering talent in the technology sector is any indicator, there is a shortage of STEM skills, especially for emerging technologies such as mobile and cloud. But technical skills are only the tip of the iceberg. Entrepreneurial thinking, curiosity, and enthusiasm for innovation are what will ultimately determine whether we as an industry can solve the big, persistent challenges facing the UK and the world,” said Ojas Rege, chief strategy officer at MobileIron.
