BA CIO: Avert UK skills crisis now

The UK faces an IT skills crisis and will find it tougher to compete on a global level unless the government and businesses take action, British Airways' CIO has warned.

But while Paul Coby said a shortage in skilled IT professionals could lead the UK into economic trouble, businesses have enough opportunities to turn the situation around.

He told silicon.com: "IT skills are absolutely essential to the economic future of the UK. We're all finding it's tough to find top-grade staff.

"We will have a crisis if we don't move this forward but we have a lot of building blocks. The IT industry is globalising and we are seeing a decline in the number of IT graduates."

Coby sits on the CIOs' board of training organisation e-skills UK.

Research from e-skills has found only 40 per cent of computer users have received any IT training while 90 per cent of new jobs now require IT skills. Sixty-seven per cent of employers said that the staff level of IT skills 'defines' the impact on productivity.

Two million people in the UK alone are thought to have IT skills gaps for their jobs.

Coby said SMEs are one area where skills need to be improved.

He said: "The SMEs are really important and are a key element of the economy and will become the powerhouse of the future. It is vital that the UK has a rich skills environment. You need to have people who are good at tech and people good at business.

"It sounds obvious but I think it's important. You should be able to make these things work."