Industry insights - Information technology
Information technology (IT) is at the centre of everyday life and can be found in almost all other industries. IT underpins many organisations and pastimes, from shopping to watching the television, and it is at the core of every business. IT will continue to be the key element that enables businesses to grow.
It is a very dynamic industry and is constantly changing. IT positions include:
The IT industry was affected less than most other industries during the recent recession. This was partly due to companies employing IT professionals to help them cut costs but also down to the overall strength of the industry and significant presence in industries as a whole. It also has a central role to play in the government's current drive to create a 'Digital Britain' so that managers, employees, leaders and citizens can use IT to enhance all aspects of their lives.
The most common roles for new graduates include:
The UK economy will require an average of 110,500 new IT professionals every year for the next four years (Technology Counts UK, 2010).
According to Technology Counts UK :
Opportunities exist throughout the UK, although over 44% of UK IT jobs are based in London and the South East.
For more information about IT employers in the EU and abroad, see opportunities abroad.
The following profiles are examples of key jobs that exist in the information technology sector. To find the job roles that best match your skills and interests, login to what jobs would suit me?
For even more career ideas, take a look at types of jobs.
As IT opportunities are available within such a wide range of employers you should contact careers services for details of vacancy sources. Use specialist graduate publications, websites, industry journals and professional body websites to find out about opportunities. Attend campus careers fairs as well as industry-specific ones.
You can apply for jobs directly via advertised graduate training schemes or on a speculative basis to smaller medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where networking is a particularly effective approach. Apply early for graduate schemes but be flexible about applying to other organisations who may also offer good training opportunities.
For details of directories, websites and professional associations, see contacts and resources.
As there are such a wide range of opportunities in both technical and non-technical roles it is not essential to have an IT-related degree. Employers are happy to recruit graduates with non-IT degrees into consultancy and business analysis roles where they can apply a broad technical knowledge to commercial environments.
However, more technical roles such as network engineer, software developer and programmer do require graduates with relevant degrees such as computer science, information systems and software engineering. Also required are programming languages, operations systems knowledge, network and infrastructure understanding and development skills.
It is equally important to have a range of soft skills, including:
While academic qualifications and technical skills are important, IT employers want graduates who are highly motivated and can work in customer-focused environments. You can find two month to year-long placements either as part of your degree or during the summer vacation with a number of graduate employers.
Many employers use the placement as the first stage in the recruitment process and around 70% lead to job offers with the same company. Work experience and work shadowing opportunities can also be found with smaller companies who you can approach directly.
If you are unable to find IT-related experience look out for opportunities where you can develop the softer but all important skills of teamwork, commercial awareness and customer service. Also, part-time jobs can show further evidence of these transferable skills.
Postgraduate study is not essential though could give you an edge in an increasingly competitive job marketplace.
IT is a highly dynamic industry and it is crucial that you continue training to keep your skills up to date with new technology. The IT industry is very committed to continuous personal development - indeed according to e-skills UK - The Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology , half of all ICT companies and almost one third of all companies provide IT training for all employees.
The industry’s professional body, the BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT) , has comprehensive information on its accredited degree courses. Also Microsoft (for Windows), Novell (for Networking) and Oracle (for databases) run industry-relevant certification courses
Career prospects in the IT industry are changing. Opportunities are diversifying as the IT and telecoms industries are increasingly merging together to form one industry. This is due to new technologies in the telecoms industry which use broadband data networks that carry high amounts of multimedia traffic. This industry therefore very much needs the digital skills of IT professionals.
Traditional career paths do still exist, for example moving from programmer to analyst to project manager, although progression routes are breaking down. In the last ten years, the IT industry has re-invented itself and it not just about programming work. It now encompasses highly skilled work with advanced technological developments. Furthermore, graduate not only need these high level technology skills but also have to be business aware.
It may be necessary to change jobs frequently using networking skills in order to keep progressing in your career. Those who have the combination of high-level technical skills and the required soft skills are likely to be more successful in advancing their careers in this industry.
The IT industry provides a plethora of employment opportunities within small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.
SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.
Careers services should have listings of jobs with small firms; see also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
Small businesses that cannot afford their own full-time IT staff provide an excellent market for self-employed IT professionals. Opportunities exist for those looking to work as IT consultants, IT trainers and web designers. During tough financial periods, self-employment may be an attractive option as more organisations choose to outsource their non-core functions.
Self-employment is demanding but can be very rewarding. To learn more about how to get started, see self-employment.
The IT industry is very multinational; investment in IT has grown and many large companies, such as IBM, have offices all over the world.
Europe and North America can still be classed as the countries that are leading technological development. However, the increasing trend for businesses to move jobs offshore has resulted in a growing number of opportunities becoming available in developing countries, particularly India and China.
More recently, Brazil has become a country keen to join the list of countries engaging in offshore activities. Brazil has more than 4,000 homegrown IT companies and is the 12th largest producer of software and services. A number of major IT companies including Accenture, HP and British Telecom already have operations in Brazil.
For graduates interested in working abroad it is advisable to first gain experience with a UK company that has links abroad. Language ability may also be beneficial particularly for roles involving client contact. Many European employers expect recruits to have a relevant degree and the same software knowledge as would be required in the UK.
To find detailed information about visa requirements, the job market, application procedures, language requirements worldwide, see country profiles. Each country profile also contains a comprehensive list of links to help you in your job search.
These are ten of the most popular graduate recruiters in the IT and communications sector, all of which have a global presence:
There are strong signs that the IT industry will continue to grow across a range of industries. IT is the essential component which ensures businesses can run effectively and efficiently. One key growth area is the financial industry where IT opportunities will increase. There will also continue to be opportunities in the creative industries, which are heavily dependent on IT. Here graduates will find roles in the computer games, film special effects and media sectors.
Products that rely on digital technologies will increase and because of this, the industry will need to keep up to speed in terms of digital technologies and innovative advances. And, according to Lord Carter, who chaired the Digital Britain report produced in early 2010:
'The UK’s digital dividend will transform the way business operates, enhance the delivery of public services, stimulate communications infrastructure ready for next generation distribution, and preserve Britain’s status as a global hub for media and entertainment.'
The challenges presented by technology are likely to be driven by the next generation of so called ‘digital natives’ who have grown up with technology, and for whom it holds no fear. They are 'native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video gaming and the internet.
Social computing powered by web 2.0 technologies and the development of new technologies will shape future IT products, services and skills. Increased concern for the environment will impact on the number of green IT products required.
The rapid expansion of social computing which has seen the development of social media sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Twitter, to name but a few, will continue to be a major factor influencing how the IT sector develops. There is also an increasing desire for people to have more work-life balance and flexible work patterns in their lives. IT has an important part to play in this as we will see more demand for wireless internet access and more technologically advanced communication systems which will enable more people to work from home in virtual work places.
There will be an increasing need for employees to possess higher level IT skills to cope with the demand for producing more innovative IT products. These skills will have to be continually updated if the UK is to remain a significant player in the IT sector in the future.
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