Almost half of companies in the IT and engineering sectors are not planning on recruiting staff over the next 12 months, due to a lack of suitably skilled candidates, according to research from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
The 2010 Skills Survey found 45% of companies are not planning on recruiting staff over the next 12 months. While this is an improvement from 69% in 2009, the research also reveals of the companies not looking to recruit, 43% cited a lack of suitably qualified candidates as the key reason for this, a significant drop on 2009 when financial constraints was identified as the main reason.
To help address this issue, the IET is launching the ICTTech (ICT Technician) professional qualification, which is designed to recognise expertise and hard work of ICT professionals in areas such as ICT hardware, software or system installation, operation, maintenance, incident/change/problem management, administration, security, fault diagnosis and fixing.
The ICTTech professional registration category is an internationally recognised qualification awarded by the Engineering Council to information and communications technology technicians.
The IET's 2010 Skills Survey also suggests 51% of the companies looking to recruit in the next 12 months will be looking for experienced personnel. The findings emphasise the importance of professional qualifications, to ensure candidates are properly qualified for the engineering and technology roles that are out there.
Hugo Donaldson at the IET, said: "The 2010 skills survey really shows evidence of recovery in the engineering and technology industries, with many more companies looking to recruit in the next 12 months. However, properly qualified and skilled people are needed to fill these roles, and this is where professional qualifications can help employers by demonstrating who does have the right skills. At the IET we are supporting employers by launching a professional qualification in ICTTech."
For more information on applying for the ICTTech qualification please visit http://www.theiet.org/careers/profreg/icttech/.