Arunn Ramadoss, Micro Focus

Newbury, UK

Head, Academic Connections

While it is important to acknowledge the increasing demand for IT staff in the UK, it is vital that we begin to address this potential problem. The vast majority of large companies continue to rely on their core systems built over many decades which have proven their business value and time tested reliability. However, the number of people who have the skills to understand, maintain and develop these systems are falling every year as many baby boomers reach retirement age.

It is important that companies take this issue seriously, otherwise UK businesses' ability to compete with their international counterparts will be seriously affected. Universities and Industry need to urgently address the growing gap between the demand (both numbers and type of skills) and supply of vital IT skills. Companies must work closely with government, vendors and academia over the coming years to ensure the transfer of these critical skill sets to the IT staff of the future.