Shortage in IT worsening

There are more jobs that graduates in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) community at the moment, and a University of Wollongong academic says he knows why.

The Interim President of the Australian Council of Deans of ICT, UOW Professor Joe Chicharo said a perception has swept through the younger generations that there aren’t many jobs in the ICT industry, when the truth is that many of the jobs are simply shifting from companies to contractors.

“Nationally we are in resources boom and students tend to look and those areas where there’s perceived significant employment opportunities and for some reason the resources industry has been able to get that message out,” he said.

“Unfortunately the ICT industry has been sending off mixed signals.”

However while the main body of up-and-coming professionals might have steered away from IT jobs, whose who have chosen to take that path are being snapped up by employers.

Twenty-six-year-old Edwin Kwan studied Computer Science and Medical Science at UOW and walked out of university straight into a job with Andrew Corporation – an information technology and communications business.

Mr Kwan said he and his fellow students found it easy to get jobs. Prof Chicharo said the skills shortage is so serious companies are almost moving to places where they can easily recruit graduates. Statistics show the number of people enrolling in undergraduate ICT degrees dropped by half between 2001 and 2007.