IT skills gap

I read with great interest your article about Scottish graduates being forced to accept “survival jobs” thanks to the recession (31 July).

The report by Citizens Advice Scotland, suggesting that graduates are being told to “dumb down” by omitting their degrees altogether from their CVs, contrasts with the current experiences of the technology sector.

At ScotlandIS, the trade body for the software and IT sector in Scotland, we are facing a significant skills shortage in a sector that is a vital driver for growth and increasing productivity, 
currently worth some £4 billion to the Scottish economy.

The technology sector is growing five times faster than the Scottish average and, over the next five years, 48,000 new entrants are required to fill IT and telecoms professional job roles in Scotland.

Far from “dumbing down” CVs, more needs to be done to change perceptions about industry, by giving access to more realistic and up-to-date information about the technology sector and the wide range of career opportunities that exist in both technical and non-technical roles.

With one in four 16 to 24-year-olds currently out of work in Scotland, we should not be finding “survival jobs” for our graduates.

Instead, we should be educating parents, pupils and students about Scotland’s growth sectors and creating a talent pipeline to plug the skills gap that exists within this important sector.

Polly Purvis

ScotlandIS

Geddes House

Livingston