There is a growing shortage of IT skills in North America and the UK. Increased retirements over the next few years will make the problem worse. Enterprises cannot assume that new graduates will fill the open spaces.
Crisis in IT Education
Enrollment in IT programs at the post-secondary level has dropped. According to the Computing Research Association (CRA), there was a 70% drop rate from 2000 to 2005 in North America. The UK is seeing the same trend. The drop has leveled off somewhat, but the next few years will produce far fewer IT graduates.
There is no definitive understanding of why this is happening. The dot-com bust is likely a contributor with potential students nervous about ongoing employment stability in the IT field. Additionally, growing press around outsourcing and offshoring contribute to the perception of instability. The unfortunate consequence of this is the fact that lower enrollment numbers make...
