by Karl Parkinson

Despite the daily reports of a country in crisis, the recession seems to be having less of an impact on certain aspects of UK PLC, particularly the IT industry. Whereas many markets were overstretched before the recession kicked in, the IT industry was desperately short of suitable applicants, with over 150,000 jobs being advertised per quarter – a sign of a massive skills shortage in this buoyant industry. Although the marketplace has contracted slightly, that shrinkage has been relative and IT is still a robust industry with growth forecasts of 2-2.5% per year. For people with the right IT qualifications and skills-sets, this means that the recession could almost pass them by unnoticed.

Programmers in particular are still in demand, especially those with qualifications and experience in .net, C# and PHP, whilst demand for temporary workers with CNC programming skills is high. C# and .net skills are used for building Windows applications, while PHP is a website programming language. As businesses realise that a high Internet profile is vital to reach an international marketplace, many companies are revamping websites to introduce search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques into their profiles and gain a greater number of online ‘hits’ by increasing their presence on the major search engines. The vast majority of businesses use Windows based technology, so programmers that can work on these systems are guaranteed to be gainfully employed most of the time.

When the http://dot.com bubble burst in 2001, IT was considered to be the ‘bad guy’ of the marketplace, and was seen more of an expense to a business rather than a strategic advantage. Now with a much more stable Internet marketplace that acts more as a shop window for real (rather than virtual) companies, business-based IT strategies are once again being heralded as not just a strategic advantage but an absolute necessity.

The short-term contract market is particularly strong during a time of economic downturn as companies downsize their full-time workforce to survive the worst of the recession but still need IT consultants and maintenance contractors on a regular basis. Although the number of jobs being advertised has declined the demand hasn’t, and industry professionals see this lack of advertising as an indication that IT specialists with established reputations are being headhunted by companies rather than finding work through applying for advertised positions. The growth of Internet business networking sites also means that businessmen and women can ‘cherry-pick’ the best consultants via electronic means rather than through traditional advertising techniques. Online sites that carry CVs and biographies are also becoming a dominant factor, allowing those looking for IT specialists to select the best candidates based on a far more specific set of criteria.

The most important thing for anyone working in the IT field is to ensure that their skills-sets are as up to date and as comprehensive as possible. Continuous personal development has become much more important in the last few years, and those who constantly update their skills and knowledge are far more likely to be attractive employment propositions to a market that can be exceptionally demanding. The IT sector is a fluid and constantly evolving marketplace that seems to bounce back from recession and back into growth far more quickly than other industries. It also transcends international boundaries and good IT specialists can certainly have the pick of the best positions, not just in the UK but all over the world.

Karl has over 40 years of experience in the IT Careers Industry and is Chairman of Computeach, which provides innovative and blended learning solutions to a wide range of customers.

Republished with Permission

Photo by Dean Johnson

by Edward DeJesus

Though there are obvious direct benefits of a summer job creation program, we must look beyond the paycheck and economic stimulus that it provides. In preparing and planning for this prodigious effort, we must look toward the less realized benefit that it affords, which is the preparation of our young adults to break the grips of poverty and learn the skills that schools cannot teach. We must look to this opportunity to build and prepare our youth to be more than just wage earners, but also lifelong learners with a desire for continuous advancement and something more than a paycheck.

The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, and its investment of 1.2 billion in youth summer job creation and training is going to give the youth service community the opportunity to put thousands of low-income young people into jobs, and they need to be mindful that a “job” is not a ticket out of poverty.  It is imperative that these efforts teach young adults the intangible benefits of a summer job -  documented work experience; positive adult support networks; knowledge of industry and the skills needed to advance.

It is important for youth service organizations to understand the importance of having youth successfully complete the summer job experience. Research shows that a series of documented, progressive job experiences during young adult years has a positive impact on future wages and opportunities. Moreover, summer jobs can give youth access to hidden labor markets.  It is a fact that the majority of available jobs are never posted in the newspaper or at the one stop center.   Most young adults from low-income communities do not have access to information about where the good jobs are because the majority of people in their community are unemployed. Finally, a summer job can validate the need for education and training. What’s the first thing you say when you realize you hate your job? “I got to go back to school!”

Fortunately for millions of economically disenfranchised youth, the opportunity to amass this small fortune, to learn these lessons, is now within reach. The ages of 14-26 are a young adults’ “opportunity;” not “wealth building” years. During these years, it is important to realize that wealth-building is not the goal. Instead it is a time to realize the importance of investments in things that will lead to future economic opportunity. Structured summer job experiences followed by year round developmental services can make all the difference.

President Obama got 23 million youth to the “polling place.” Now it is up to us to get thousands to the “market place.”  The youth employment rate is almost 3 times higher (20.8%) than the national unemployment rate (7.6%). For African American youth, it’s off the hook (33%). Layoffs abound, and the unspoken last hired, first fired rule is in effect. At the same time, drop-outs rates are escalating, violence rates are up, and many youth find themselves competing with college educated adults for a minimum wage job that will barely keep gas in their cars. With an economy that is plunging daily, the crisis of youth unemployment must be addressed – how do you spell FRANCE?

What Needs to Be Done
Research states that young adults who spend time in communities that are rich in developmental opportunities experience less risk and show evidence of higher rates of positive development. The American Recovery and Investment Bill’s investment is a nominal the first step.

There will be a temptation to get summer programs up quickly to demonstrate that we are stimulating the economy, but it is a wasted opportunity unless we make sure that our youth receive something more than a paycheck.

Edward DeJesus is the author of Countering the Urban Influence. He can be reached at www.ydrf.com

Reproduced with Permission

Photo by “Arden’s Way of Life“