UK Computer Industry at a Crossroads

The BBC is running an interesting article on the number of qualified skilled people wanting to work in the computer industry, and the lack of said people who are coming through the college ranks. This is not just a UK issue, but an American issue as well. The number of folks in college in the USA seeking computer science degrees is at an all time low. Something to think about when recruiting, or seeking new employees is that the pool is getting smaller, and those in the pool are going to ask for a lot more than they are getting now. American Stats on this as stated by computer weekly are: Experts say this problem will only get worse by 2010. As the demand for IT-savvy staffers continues to grow, the number of people seeking computer science degrees is in a free fall. "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one out of every four new jobs between now and 2012 will be IT-related," says Mark Hanny, vice president of IBM's Academic Initiative outreach program. Yet according to the Computing Research Association, the percentage of college freshmen listing computer science as their probable major fell 70% between 2000 and 2004. The drop-off has been even more severe among women, who, although they now make up the majority of students on college campuses, account for only 28% of the computer science bachelor's degrees granted, down from 38% in 1984. (Bookmark Murdok: Dan Morrill has been in the information security field for 18 years, both civilian and military, and is currently working on his Doctor of Management. Dan shares his insights on the important security issues of today through his blog, ITtoolbox blogging community