2013-05-23T17:41:13-04:00 Nick Wilson http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=nick-wilson Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Nick Wilson Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1586876 2012-06-11T12:10:29-04:00 2012-06-12T06:12:57-04:00

Nick Wilson http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-wilson/
Technology presents long term growth potential as a sector in its own right and offers the opportunity to transform public sector bodies and private enterprises in the UK. The industry is reliant on the skills and talent of its people. But we are currently seeing a shortage of 'job ready' young people with industry-relevant IT skills and, worryingly, reductions in the number of students entering university to study the topic.

However, too many technology degrees are not providing the right combination of industry focused skills and academic background to be immediately compelling for employers to take on these graduates. The most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency statistics revealed that that employment rates among IT graduates are some of the poorest in the UK despite the skills shortages in these areas. This has a significant impact on the career opportunities open to these young people as well as on the UK's technology industry which is struggling to recruit the right graduates.

As students' priorities change and are more and more focused on employability, universities themselves are adapting to address this. Employers are working closely with education providers to design and develop courses equipping students with the right knowledge and skills for their future careers.

Students have been bringing many benefits into the workplace in recent years, including fresh ideas and a perspective gained from growing up with technology. We find they bring with these key skills in basic IT, a sales driven approach and an understanding of customer service.

However, as the business drills down further into the skills requirements of the roles on offer we too often find areas where there is room for improvement.

Businesses need interns and graduates with technical skills such as C, C++, and software skills as well as business skills including consulting, project, people and sales management. Ideally candidates will have technical and business skills together in one package, because business and IT no longer work in silos.

From a competency perspective we are looking for assertive self starters who can demonstrate an aptitude for tactical planning and tracking paired with basic financial acumen. Graduates should be able to demonstrate responsiveness and the ability follow through a project to its conclusion. We also value immensely their strong 'external perspective' and look for people who can focus on customers. This ability to build relationships, demonstrate good listening skills and collaborate and influence are vital as the UK moves toward a less hierarchical work environment.

This insight is being used as we partner with universities to address the challenges we face together. We are co-delivering and co-authoring computing degree courses with three Higher Education institutions Buckinghamshire New University, De Montfort and the University of the West of England that share our vision on helping ensure graduates have attractive skills. This includes vital work experience, which provides the opportunity to put what they learn into practice.

Other IT organisations offer programmes and education certifications as well. Students would be well advised to seek out these industry-led courses to ensure they are equipped with not just the IT knowledge but the hands-on workplace experience required in the jobs market.

This is a pivotal time for the UK. Economic growth and a strong technology sector demand that business and UK education work towards the same goals in order to create highly skilled young people that have the ability to strengthen UK industry. Universities need to be flexible and address the needs of students. Businesses must work with universities and across the education system to ensure they are investing and advising on what they need. Finally students are now customers, paying for an education. They have the right to have to understand how their education will help them secure employment and make their contribution to driving growth.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1315556 2012-03-05T19:00:00-05:00 2012-05-05T05:12:01-04:00

Nick Wilson http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-wilson/
On the surface the technology sector looks very secure - after all, the internet alone is worth £100bn a year to the UK economy.

It is clear that the UK is in an enviable position, but it is not a secure position. What the figures don't show is the technology investment gap in the UK, also called the IT skills gap. This is a problem that technology firms, and any organisation seeking to hire skilled technology staff, are facing right now.

The CBI's Building for Growth report that showed over 40% of employers struggle to fill these skilled roles; over half expect this to increase. I have no doubt the problem is more pronounced in small and mid-sized companies who find it hard to compete for the best IT staff. These companies are the engine of growth for the UK. We all need their innovation, energy and insight and we risk hampering their growth potential by not providing them the talent pool they need.

A big impediment to growth businesses face, is getting the right people with the right skills.

Everybody I speak to in the IT industry agrees that the lack of job-focused IT skills in UK school leavers and graduates is causing recruitment problems in the technology sector at a time when we wrestle with unemployment across the country.

The eSkills UK Technology Insights 2011 report quantified this problem, reporting that the UK is failing to capitalise on the £50bn productivity gain which could be achieved through the better use of technology.

The technology industry is taking responsibility for this issue - we have to if we are to continue to innovate and grow. The sector is increasingly stepping in to help with approaches ranging from transforming the technology curriculum to investing in new entrepreneurs.

For example Vodafone Ventures global investment is set to invest in the next wave of wireless start-ups. Vodafone will also expand its high tech version of Dragon's Den called Mobile Clicks to coach the next generation of online entrepreneurs. And Intel Innovators has launched a contest where entrepreneurs can win $100,000 each month for the best tech-based ideas.

For our part, we recently launched the HP Institute, a new set of courses delivered by schools, colleges and training providers. This will give up to 20,000 people over the next four years the business and technology skills to help them secure long term careers and help businesses benefit from their skills from day one on the job. The courses have been designed to provide the kinds of skills that small and mid-sized companies need most.

They cover the full realm of technology as well as a course on cloud computing and a vitally important module on IT and business which grounds the technology in the world of business.

This is the latest initiative in an ongoing series of programmes that has seen partnerships with The University of the West of England, De Montfort University and Buckinghamshire New University where HP jointly writes and delivers courses to directly improve the employability of graduates. And last year HP committed itself to creating new entry-level technology apprenticeships, in the Gosport, Portsmouth and Glasgow areas.

We've also seen that the government understands this issue and is making moves to address the skills gap, in particular, with the computer science GCSE qualification.

That does not mean there is less for the technology industry to do. On the contrary, we need more companies stepping up to the challenge to help broaden the horizons of the young and encouraging more of them to join this exciting, fast moving and profitable sector.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1287835 2012-02-19T19:00:00-05:00 2012-04-20T05:12:01-04:00

Nick Wilson http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-wilson/
With a New Year come new challenges - further economic uncertainty, banks raising the bar in terms of eligibility for loans and cuts in government spending. Nonetheless, our research also reported SMEs are aware of the need to prepare. Around a third of businesses we surveyed are still optimistic about the state of the economy in 2012. In the coming year, this group expects to grow. So what about the remaining two thirds? How do we give them the tools they need to walk a path to prosperity?

This research has proven invaluable in terms of helping us get to know the needs of this community better. The need for advice is a key focus for small and medium sized businesses, particularly around subjects such as financial management, taxation and business regulation. Over half those surveyed noted a need for advisory services to make critical decisions, with business advice groups (51%) and work colleagues (46%) being the most popular sources. Interestingly, for sole traders other small business owners were the most important source of help and advice, suggesting a community approach is best in terms of sharing best practice.

When they have time, SMEs are often the more innovative users of social media tools - given limited marketing budgets. As such, the likes of StartUp Britain and the LinkedIn Business Answers community is provided as a way of connecting entrepreneurs and supporting their networking efforts. Similarly networking in real life (if business leaders can get away from their desks) is just as crucial.

Looking at the SME community and their needs also involved the discovery of persistent problems that urgently need solving; cash flow is a major issue; recent research revealed that SMEs are owed over 30 billion pounds in late payment. Bacs, the company that commissioned the research, stated that the figure was a rise of 10% over the last year, and the highest since records began in 2007. It is with this in mind that HP has signed up to the Prompt Payment Code, one of the first few large technology companies to take this crucial step. We call upon other large companies to follow suit and make it easier for smaller enterprises during this difficult time.

While we applaud UK government for its focus on using more SMEs as suppliers, it can be a challenge for companies to navigate the complexities of government procurement. Therefore, getting SMEs integrated into public (and private) sector supply chains with larger systems integrators can open the door for SMEs. To us they bring new ideas and a fresh perspective as well as crucial innovation. Big companies do not have a monopoly on the best ideas.

We're introducing initiatives that we hope will support SMEs in making their optimistic plans become real. As the UK's largest technology company, HP is already using over 600 SMEs within our supply chain and over 8000 partners who help us bring technology to customers. But we have our sights set on working with even greater numbers in future, adding a further 150 SMEs to our supply chain and increasing spend with them by 50% by the end of next year. We're also appointing an SME Champion who will bring even closer alignment between the goals of HP and the needs of that community, a task which spans providing better advice and support, improving our procurement process, developing a new approved SME supplier list, creating 'SME bootcamp' events and rewarding excellence amongst SMEs through the HP Business Answers Awards programme. And we'll be unveiling further initiatives throughout this year.

HP is dedicated to driving SME profitability and success. Working together, SMEs and larger enterprises can bring the innovation potential that technology can deliver to drive the economic growth as well as help transform public sector services to benefit everyone, perhaps even the Chancellor.]]>