Employers call for action on e-skills

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Major employers have joined together to urge the government to prioritise technology and technology skills as the key to economic growth.

Major employers have joined together to urge the government to prioritise technology and technology skills as the key to economic growth.

London, 1st March 2010 - As countries around Europe focus on IT skills during European e-Skills week, major employers in the UK have set out their recommendations on how to e-skill the workforce to create sustainable economic growth.

The heads of leading IT & Telecoms companies and CIOs from all sectors of the economy have joined together with e-skills UK – the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology – to publish the e-skills Manifesto, which was launched at the European e-Skills Week conference at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills in London today.

Companies backing the Manifesto include Cable & Wireless, Cisco, Logica, HP, IBM, Quicksilva, BA, National Grid, UBS and Whitbread. With 2.46 million people currently unemployed in the UK[1], the group say that investment in technology skills is essential for economic growth and employment.

Technology holds the key to innovation and global competitiveness across the whole economy, and will underpin the majority of future job creation in the western world. Half of Europe’s productivity gains in recent years are attributable to IT, which is at the heart of new economy sectors from low carbon to biotechnology to space. The technology sector also delivers £71 billion a year in direct GVA contribution. Research released by e-skills UK to support the Manifesto shows that the technology professional workforce has continued to grow throughout the recession. Growing at four times the UK average for the coming decade, 110,000 new people a year will be needed to enter IT careers. In addition, IT literacy skills are also now a pre-requisite for employment for everyone, with 92% of new recruits required to have skills in the use of IT[2].

Among the Manifesto’s recommendations are calls to radically improve IT-related education, to provide practical help for companies to innovate and increase productivity, and to ensure that government policy reflects the strategic importance of technology.

Andy Green, CEO of Logica and Chair of e-skills UK’s IT & Telecoms Industry Board, said: “The UK needs to create sustainable economic growth. Only growth will create jobs for the future and deliver the tax revenue to fund world class public services. To succeed, both private and public sectors need to become more innovative and more productive. It is technology that enables innovation and underpins productivity right across the economy. Modern economies are driven by skilled people who create and use technology. The UK needs more, many more of these skilled people. We need to e-skill the UK, and we need to do it now.”

Paul Coby, CIO and head of BA Services, British Airways and Chair of e-skills UK’s CIO Board, said: “We are in a social and economic revolution led by IT. Technology is changing the way people work and interact. It is creating new sources of wealth. It will enable us to find new answers to the big global problems of famine, disease and climate change. As employers, through e-skills UK, we are putting our collective efforts into creating the skills we will need for this technology-enabled future. We need to prioritise the e-skilling of the UK as crucial to the future of the economy”.

Larry Hirst, Chairman of IBM Europe, Middle East and Africa and Chair of e-skills UK, said: “Partnership between employers and government is the key to making sure the UK has the technology skills it needs. With e-skills UK, we are placing particular focus on inspiring young people about technology and improving their experience of studying technology at school. We also need to make employer-backed IT degrees central to the STEM agenda, and help more smaller companies to exploit and innovate through IT”.

Do let us know if you would like a full copy of the e-skills Manifesto or visit the e-skills UK’s website at www.e-skills.com.

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Notes to editors:

[1] Office for National Statistics, 17 February 2010.

2 e-skills UK Technology Counts: IT & Telecoms Insights 2010.

e-skills UK’s Board members are available for interviews about the e-skills Manifesto.

Please contact Firefly Communications if you would like further information or to set up a briefing:

Tel: 020 7386 1400

Nathalie van Krimpen, Nathalie.vankrimpen@fireflycomms.com

Charlotte Stoel, Charlotte.Stoel@fireflycomms.com

About European e-Skills Week

European e-Skills Week 2010 is the result of a coordinated effort by government, industry and education to inform the European public about the critical role ICT skills play in securing Europe's future economic competitiveness. The campaign seeks to inform students, young professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present. The campaign ultimately aims to increase ICT skills among professionals and to encourage more young people to take up ICT studies and careers.

About e-skills UK

e-skills UK is the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, rated ‘outstanding’ in the relicensing of Sector Skills Councils in 2009. We work on behalf of employers to ensure the UK has the technology skills it needs to succeed in a global digital economy. Our work covers software, internet & web, IT services, telecommunications and business change. Visit www.eskills.com.