You will find below extracts of the feedback received during the Strategic Plan Consultation period, which ended on 22 February 2001.

"Larger companies such as ourselves are continually searching for good IT staff, but in my experience the best are usually grown from within. Government need to recognise that supporting businesses internal IT training programs with financial or academic input would be a much better way of gaining industry buy in. I believe that a higher level of IT literacy of the overall UK.com work force is more vital than plugging the short term e-skills gap with 'new' people.

With regards the e-skills gap, programming is a specialism. Java, C++ and related Object Oriented experts are today's prized champions. Any government strategy targeted at these areas needs to be set in context of the world picture. India and the Far East countries are developing OO programming capabilities that are cost effective and reliable. UK e-business champions need much more than just the programming skills to differentiate themselves from the pack. I believe an understanding of the businesses that they work within is vital.

I would propose that the government should:

• Heavily subsidise the ECDL initiative and broaden its appeal
• Subsidise industrial purchases of IT equipment and training material for IT
• Set-up a network of academic institutes to provide free / at cost assistance to businesses developing and delivering IT training
• Concentrates efforts on business / IT training initiatives, especially SMEs that cannot afford large IT resources."

IT Director

"There are a large number of very experienced but older (40+) IT professionals leaving the industry because they are simply not wanted (except for Y2k!). The general consensus is that these individuals cannot be re-trained, are not dynamic enough etc. The reality is very different and the industry is losing a good deal of mature expertise. I feel that here is an opportunity to try and change the employer mindset that creates this situation. A focus on re-training older IT staff and acknowledging their experience, along with publicised success stories may help."

Director of IT

"As a membership organisation, we also welcome the potential role that the e-skills NTO can play in the bringing together of the public, private and corporate sectors to the benefit of learners and the economy at both regional and national levels."

NILTA (National Information & Learning Technologies Association)

"The main thrust of our response is related to the need to promote linkage between the needs of SME employers to exploit modern technology and their IT resources with the vocational training of school leavers and adults. The tools to help in the process being modern apprenticeships and IT system support qualifications. Inclusion of the strategic role of Group Training Associations would help this linkage.

We feel that the strategic plan is generally very strong but would benefit from a sharper focus in this area.

A lot of success has been achieved by the NTO in persuading the Government and the DfEE of the need to properly identify and then allocate commensurate funding levels to vocational training, particularly Modern Apprenticeships. We feel that this work should be built on by a stronger emphasis on the needs of and benefits to SMEs of people trained and qualified in this way."

COGS (Confederation of Group Training Associations)

"I think the Strategic Plan is very good, well structured and clear. It is particularly strong on the activities to change attitudes, but more is needed on providing the infrastructure and tools with which employers, individuals and training providers may act in response to the new attitudes. These are therefore quite detailed suggestions."

Research Consultant

"Thanks for the opportunity to comment on this. Really impressed. Good to see evidence of commitment from big companies, inc. Microsoft, and progress on qualifications and pathways.

The big questions for local LSCs are (i) how to focus in on some early achievables and (ii) what longer term strategy to aim for. This applies generally, but also to working with NTOs. At the recent Windsor Consultation on Modern Apprenticeships there was much enthusiasm for joint working between NTOs and local LSCs but less progress on how to in practice.

LSCs will of course have massive spending power in public sector terms but the e-skills NTO demonstrates the potential value of working closely with a well organised industry sector. We are all at a formative stage in developing our priorities. I'd be surprised if there were any of us who didn't have an interest in IT skills amongst them. But how to make things happen on the ground when there are so many competing early pressures?

That's where an NTO with a developed strategy and some specific proposals for action could help us see the wood for the trees."

Executive Director LSC (Learning & Skills Council)

"I think it is an excellent document, and can see where we would benefit from this, from both government and employer perspectives. The document states that NTO are looking to expand employer participation in all of its projects. Could I be involved in the Steering Group?"

Local Authority Employer

"It is useful to see the plan broken down in this way. There are very many IT skills, requiring knowledge and understanding at a number of different levels. If these can be clearly identified, and the outcomes used to initiate coherent and progressive training programmes, then the skills shortage might start to be addressed."

University

"IT needs bright people and as much sharing of common solutions as we can engineer. It also needs these bright people to take an interest in business and the impact they have on it rather than being obsessed by technology alone.

So a few strategies:
First the link to universities is important. The UK should establish far stronger links between universities and industry. We should have far more industry driven R&D out of universities, which will also encourage shared solutions across UK PLC.

Additionally we need to promote the business contribution of IT. This should start at universities, ensuring scientific disciplines get adequate education (a little like the IT training given to non-technical graduates). Without doubt our IT professionals have more ability to impact UK PLC success than any other discipline."

Individual response

"Being a graduate desperate to get into Internet related work after finishing a computer degree with a 2:2, I favour schemes which encourage training / apprenticeships. There are many computer graduates out there with an interest in Internet technologies and jobs, and it frustrates me when I keep hearing about shortages in Internet / IT. Companies should be encouraged to take on IT graduates, because so much is experienced based, it is difficult to move into a computing field other than one in which you have experience. There is only one clear way I know how to get into Internet / e-commerce and that is to teach oneself by building a site."

Individual Response

"We need a (re)training loan scheme similar to under-graduate student loans so that employees can pay for their own training while employed. Then employers need not worry about losing their investment if an employee leaves soon after being trained at company expense. All the company has spent is employee-time but not training fees.
It is just as difficult for older IT staff to get retrained and recycled as it is for new entrants to break into IT - employers must learn to invest in training and this loan scheme for on-the-job training would free employers of the worry that their investment will walk away."

Business Analyst

"There needs to be a greater focus on the people/human issues surrounding IT and not just on IT for technology's sake - it is enabling business and all sorts of other industry streams and, as children as young as 4/5 are learning how to use computers in schools, there needs to be a greater focus on the requirements of industry to match business strategy with skills."

Senior Security Consultant

"Having read your article within the Computer Weekly regarding skill shortages I find the problem is really getting into the industry than anything else. You have great enthusiastic people with drive and determination, but the industry is unforgiving without the magic 2 years experience. In my view if you crack this problem there would be no such thing as a skill shortage.

Individual Response

"We need to make it much easier for mature workers and women to combine work (including training and retraining programmes) and family life and to bring UK practice into line with that in our major competitors. This means:

• ending taxation on employer provided child care and family support (including for elderly relatives and other dependent adults)
• encouraging public sector employers, including central government, to follow best practice in providing opportunities for flexible working and provision of the child-care and family support services necessary to combine this with sustaining a career (not just a part-time job)
• an examination of the ways of making good quality child care and family support affordable out of after tax/benefit income - including the tax exemptions and deductibility common in other nations
• streamlining tax and benefit rules and integrating publicly funded training and child/family support programmes to make it very much easier for parents and carers to re-enter the world of work."

Research Consultant

"I have the following suggestion. Many women returning to work after having children start by updating their IT skills. The majority of these women use the basic skills in admin/secretarial jobs as these offer more scope for part time work which fits in with children's school hours.
They do not progress their IT skills beyond the basics as there are not the suitable positions available in the IT industry.

If the IT industry was to make strategic plans aimed at providing employment which caters to the requirements of mothers then there would undoubtedly be a massive pool of keen potential employees ready and able to develop the required e-skills.

I am currently in this position although I did work in the IT industry until the birth of my first child 9 years ago. Due to the massive changes in technology I am now in a position where I need to retrain. If positions were available where I could work from 9:15 until 2:45 during school term times I wouldn't hesitate to retrain in IT and gain suitable e-skills. However this is not the case, so I will be considering other career options.

I feel strongly that the IT industry has a lot to offer with the tendency towards homeworking, however the industry must actively create and promote such positions to encourage women to retrain and solve the skills crisis."

Individual Response

"Below please find my top three proposals for alleviating the IT skills shortage in descending order:

1) Promote home working, thus attracting more house-wives/husbands.

2) Promote part time arrangements; I think many house partners with young children would be prepared to work a 6 hour day, for instance, and still have time for their children.

3) Encourage ad hoc contract work. I think many contract programmers would be very happy to take on a few extra hours a week working from home to code/test programs already specified. Not least, this would be a very persuasive argument for being deemed outside the IR35 net."

Individual Response

"Quite often those of us who do have the relevant skills find it difficult to find work because of geographical location. I live in Newcastle and we don’t see any of this "Shortage". I believe that if companies were to recruit outside of their own areas we could have a major reduction in the offset we currently have.

As an example, I studied at Gateshead College for 2 years. I achieved an advanced GNVQ in IT at Merit Grade. I also have a side qualification in HTML and JAVA. I am qualified in C++ and VB. I find very few availabilities for someone with my level of qualifications because I don’t have the EXPERIENCE. It is no wonder that we have a staff shortage if we don’t let those with the ability get experience in the first place.

I actually studied with 15 other people. Not one of those people currently has a job within IT.

SO where is this shortage?"

Individual Response

"I am female and if I am not retrained I will be unemployed surely this is madness. I believe it would be easier to cross train me rather than start from scratch with someone new."

Individual Response

"Generally, I am in agreement with the content of the plan. It is in line with the Government sense of direction on tackling IT skill shortages and has the potential to make a real impact.

I do think, however, that, if the radical re-alignment of skill supply with demand is to be achieved, employer involvement and support for the strategy is absolutely vital. Your plan needs to be taken forward through genuine partnership if it is to achieve lasting change and industry ownership of its outcomes. I look forward to seeing a clear statement in the strategy of the scale and nature of the industry’s commitment to the strategy and to the NTO."

Government Response