Parity provides insight on finding that IT Degrees don't impress employers

The majority of employers are not impressed with graduates with IT degrees because they don't want to employ technology obsessed geeks says Parity

The latest findings from the e-skills UK ICT inquiry suggests that the majority of employers are not impressed by the product of IT Degree courses, and don't seek graduates with an IT qualification, whilst many even consider an IT related degree to be a distinct disadvantage in recruits.

"These findings do not surprise us one bit" says Parity Training's Managing Director, Rick Firth.

"The fact is employers do not want to employ technology obsessed geeks any more". He continues "It's clearly not a good image, and clearly not what employers want. We are seeing evidence of this in the type of training that organisations are increasingly requesting from us. Whilst there continues to be demand for technical training, and strong interest in tools and methodologies such as Prince2, we are getting an increasing number of employers come to us to train their IT department in soft skills such as interpersonal, management and business skills".

Almost 60 percent of employers contend that an ICT-related degree is not important for graduate entrants to IT and telecommunications jobs, according to findings from e-skills UK. Of IT/telecoms professionals who have earned a degree, fewer than 40 percent have graduated in an IT/telecoms discipline, reports the survey of 1,000 IT bosses responsible for recruitment and development.

"The demand for some specialist IT skills has never been greater, with salaries on the increase in some skills areas, so vocational qualifications are as popular as ever" says Firth, "but employers want staff skilled in business and other competencies that facilitate team working, such as communications and other interpersonal skills".

So it seems that although qualifications are good for CV's, and vocational ones hit a higher chord with employers, it is good interpersonal skills that make the music for most.

Editorial notes:
Parity, uniquely for its size, offers a full range of IT services to major companies including:

• Business process consultancy
• Change management training
• Management training
• Technology training
• Programming training
• Development and management of complex IT systems
• Oracle and Microsoft technology and application skills
• Permanent and temporary IT staff

Customers across the group include Alcatel, Allianz, British American Tobacco, CISCO, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Work & Pensions, GlaxoSmithKline, HBOS, Hewlett Packard, HSBC, IBM, Ministry of Defence, Department for Health, O2, Perot Systems, Royal Bank of Scotland, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, The Cabinet Office, T-Systems, Invest NI, Northern Ireland Electricity, The Charity Commission and Scottish Power.

Contact details:

For more information on Parity, visit www.parity.net or contact Gina Cannon (g.cannon@parity.net)