Silicon.com Skills Survey 2000: Train them, pay them, anyway you want them

Apparently the poor and the skills shortage will always be with us.

The results from the second annual Silicon Skills Survey show exactly the same result as the first: almost half of respondents have IT positions that they are unable to fill.

The ongoing IT skills crisis has simply become a fact of life for British businesses. If it makes us feel any better, the all-powerful US is complaining of the same problem. So what's the answer?

Many desperate businesses are putting pressure on the government to do more. To that end, e-minister Patricia Hewitt is backing the launch of yet another skills organisation this month, the Data Network Association (DNA).

DNA is concerned with the current skills shortage and "has one simple aim - to increase the number of people working in technical networking in the UK."

A worthy goal, as our survey found that 14 per cent of those unfillable positions involved networking. But the formation of yet another worthy organisation will be hard-pushed to fill the vacant desks.

The government simply moves too slowly to address shortfalls in IT skills.

Granted the IT industry should do more to create its own skills. Sun has long been criticised for failing to provide enough qualified Java programmers, a skill high on our respondents' most-wanted list.

At base though, the skills crisis is unsolvable. Any industry that creates jobs as fast as this one will face unfillable positions. The best defence is to hold on tight to valued employees, and focus on hiring intelligent, motivated, trainable people rather than those who already hold qualifications. Any committed, savvy, business-focussed IT worker can attain their Novell certification, or learn Java, or Web programming if the company needs it.

Flexible workers ready to change their skill set to suit business needs are invaluable. Train them, pay them, and provide the best working environment possible. And hire anyone you think has the potential to be just like them.

It's hard work, and you run the risk they'll leave. But as the statistics show year after year after year, there's no other way.