Northern Ireland technology sector survey reveals need for more collaboration between universities and employers
T
he local IT community is overwhelmingly positive about inward investment in Northern Ireland. This is one of the major findings from the recent survey of the Northern Ireland technology sector undertaken by Brightwater Northern Ireland, the provinceʼs leading IT recruitment specialists. “The purpose of this survey was to gauge what issues are particularly pertinent to the IT sector right here, right now”, commented Michelle Kearns, commercial director of Brightwater Northern Ireland. “Without question, this is one of the hottest topics being debated in the tech sector at the moment.
“81 per cent of respondents thought that continued inward investment has been a good thing for the local economy with 7.1 per cent responding that it puts a real strain on recruiting skilled staff. “While sentiment was overwhelmingly positive, it was somewhat qualified with one respondent commenting that “there can be too much of a short‑term impact in the market”. Similarly, there was a consensus (79 per cent) that we need to consciously attract more students into computing related courses to meet the demand for skilled staff. Of those surveyed, 74 per cent had a third level degree in a Computer Science related discipline. Perhaps most notable was that only 28 per cent of those surveyed felt that local universities give students the skills and knowledge they need to secure an IT job when they graduate.
The prevalent theme was that while there are more graduates available, the percentage of graduates with high‑level programming skills is lower than it has been previously. “There is still a large gap between what the universities teach and what happens in the real world”, commented one respondent. “81 per cent of respondents asserted that graduates need to be better prepared in terms of what employers are looking for; chiefly that they need to be equipped with stronger
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technical and practical coding skills. “There was also a general consensus that students need to be better prepared in terms of their interview performance. “This is something which has become increasingly important in recent years”, continues Kearns, “with the interview process now covering myriad skills such as technical questions, technical tests, detailed company research and competency based questions”. Salaries in the local IT market have remained relatively steady over the past three years but there is an acknowledgment that in comparison to other professional disciplines, the sector is performing well due to increased competition among employers. However, 57 per cent of respondents felt strongly that IT salaries in Northern Ireland arenʼt in line with other UK regions taking into account cost of living and other regional factors.
In terms of career planning and hiring of staff, the results were very interesting. When considering a job move, there was not just one individual motivating factor with 40 per cent of those surveyed considering salary, benefits, career progression, exposure to new technologies, and training equally important. The second most popular answer was career progression at 35 per cent but perhaps most interestingly, only seven per cent considered salary their most important priority. “This certainly reflects what our candidates tell us on a daily basis”, comments William Cranston, IT consultant at Brightwater. “Rarely do IT candidates tell us that they want to move for a salary increase alone. Most often they are motivated by a combination of factors such as those reflected in the survey”. “Itʼs great to see lots of positive messages coming from this survey”, comments Kearns, “especially to see categorical confirmation that our IT professionals arenʼt purely money motivated. “They consider career progression, exposure
Michelle Kearns, commercial director of Brightwater Northern Ireland
to new technologies and company culture as vital to their job satisfaction”. She continues, “This highlights the vital need for local IT employers to address talent management internally, as it will drive staff retention and attract new staff. Structured talent mentoring and ensuring that your workforce improves its skills are imperative. “Coupled with this, if there is a consistent push to attract top academic talent into this industry, the local IT sector will be empowered to completely transform the landscape of the Northern Ireland economy for the better. “There appears to be a consensus that local IT companies need to work together to collaborate more effectively with the universities to produce graduates who are more fully equipped to meet the commercial realities of the market”.
Kearns concludes with the thought provoking question, “Are we moving towards the US model where employers offer scholarships to IT students through universities or do IT leaders locally need to force this issue by assisting local universities in terms of funding to expand current degree places within IT”?
A full copy of the report can be requested by contacting Brightwater on 02890 325 325 46
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