SPEAKERS, including Caroline Stuart, the director of Oracle in Scotland, will tomorrow outline to more than 60 careers professionals the significant job opportunities becoming available in the ICT/eCommerce sector in Scotland and the qualifications and skills necessary to enter it.
Ms Stuart and Microsoft Education business manager for Scotland, Steven Grier, are among key speakers addressing a Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Labour Market Intelligence event for the ICT sector at Microsoft in Edinburgh on Thursday, May 26.
They will be joined by Dell, IBM, HP, Cisco, JP Morgan and Innovation Digital in supporting the event, which is being run in conjunction with e-skills UK and is one of a series planned by SDS to link employers to education and skills.
Career guidance staff from a range of organisations are attending to ensure they are fully aware of developments within the sector that can then be used to inform career information, advice and guidance.
However, SDS works with a range of partners to ensure widespread dissemination of this type of ‘intelligence’ and on this occasion has also invited appropriate lecturers from further and higher education.
Marion Beattie, manager, National Employers Services, at Skills Development Scotland, will tell delegates: “There is significant growth in ICT in Scotland and it is our role at SDS to ensure that the workforce is well placed to exploit this growth and that businesses have access to the ready pool of talent that they need.
“Companies such as Oracle and Microsoft could technically locate anywhere in the world, but they are choosing Scotland in greater numbers which could lead to us developing significant expertise to the benefit of not only the ICT sector, but almost every other industry in the country.”
The director – Scotland of e-skills UK, Michael Kowbel, will also address delegates, sharing key facts and figures including that one in 25 of Scotland’s workforce are employed in IT & Telecoms and that 59 per cent of the 71,000 IT and Telecoms professionals in Scotland work outside the IT and Telecoms industry – highlighting their importance to other sectors.
He said: “The IT industry in Scotland is forecast to grow at nine times the national average over the next decade, generating a requirement for approximately 40,000 new IT and Telecoms professionals over the next five years.
“So, it’s essential that we work together with industry, government and education to ensure a healthy pipeline of future talent into the IT professional workforce.
“This means inspiring young people – particularly girls – about IT by helping them discover the full range of exciting career opportunities in this fast paced, dynamic and well paid sector.”
A recent development in the sector has been the creation of Modern Apprenticeships in ICT by some of the UK’s largest employers.
A summary of the key speakers’ presentations at the event will shortly be available to view at www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk, select Knowledge then Events.
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Note to editors
1. Skills Development Scotland is the new national skills body for Scotland delivering: Careers Scotland, Get Ready for Work, ILA Scotland, learndirect scotland, learndirect scotland for business, Modern Apprenticeships, Skillseekers, The Big Plus and Training for Work.
2. e-skills UK is the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, rated ‘outstanding’ in the relicensing of Sector Skills Councils. It works on behalf of employers to ensure the UK has the technology skills it needs to succeed in a global digital economy, covering software, internet and web, Computer Games, IT services, telecommunications and business change. Visit www.eskills.com.
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Contact: Nancy McLardie, SDS External Communications
Phone: 0141 285 6237/ 07810 636298
Email: nancy.mclardie@sds.co.uk
Website: http://www.
