UK IT profession reaches all time high, but training is reducing

According to the latest research from E-skills UK, the UK IT profession is highly in demand however, fewer IT professionals are receiving training.

In the last 3 months of 2010 there were one million IT professionals in the UK, accounting for 4% of the total workforce in the UK, which is the highest ever recorded figure.

However, the IT skills council expressed fears that the IT sector is not investing enough in training. E-skills found that only 23% of IT staff had received education or training in the past 13 weeks, compared with an average of 27% across all sectors. IT professionals working for small companies were worst hit by reductions in skills and training investment, with only 15% having received training in the past 13 weeks.

Karen Price, CEO of E-skills UK, welcomed the news that the IT sector continues to make a major contribution to employment growth in the UK, but said more investment in training and skills is needed. "More needs to be done to make fit-for-purpose and affordable training available to employers, and particularly to small businesses," she said.

Price added that E-skills UK and employers are working to achieve this through the National Skills Academy for IT.