So what are you actually doing about the skills shortage problem – Gen-i ?

There’s an article in today’s info-tech that the current skills shortage is going to effect the economy.

Gen-i general manager Chris Quin has warned that the shortage of ICT staff in New Zealand has reached the point where it may prevent companies from taking advantage of new technologies and could dent economic growth.

“You can’t solve it just by recruiting harder. This is an industry problem, and it is not a problem that can be solved in New Zealand alone or by one player.”
….
Part of the solution may be making careers in the industry more attractive to “Generation Y” and recruiting from overseas, he says.

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Well, hello! Sorry if I seem a little cyncial to the article. We’ve had a skills shortage for the past 2-3 years. We live in a global market. If you have the right skills there are massive opportunities internationally. Kiwi’s have a fantastic reputation overseas, so its only a matter of time before more raiding occurs. As more people work overseas, they’ll draw a lot of their friends oversea. Its only going to get worse! Unfortunately one of main draw cards is the pay!

We created the Summer of Code as a way to attract the latest students into tech careers. We’re accelerating the learning of the students to help create a more experienced graduate workforce in years to come. There is plenty of amazing tech happening within NZ. Our problem is we’re not so good at letting everyone know! We’ve want to open the eyes to all of our students that there are other opportunites to working in a cubile farm or heading off overseas to find more intersting work.

Like a lot of other companies that I have heard talk about the recruitment shortages, they’re not actually doing a lot about it. Everything they do is is short term. Summer of Code is a long term commitment to accelerate talent and showcase where the real innovation and creativity of the country lies – our start-up and emerging companies. We want to showcase our heroes like Sam Morgan and Rod Drury as example of where NZ is heading.

So my big question to Gen-i is what are they doing about the skills shortage? Recruiting from Britain or investing or our future ? What are you doing for our tomorrow ?

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One Response to “So what are you actually doing about the skills shortage problem – Gen-i ?”

  1. Rawiri Blundell Says:

    I once worked for Gen-i and they only have themselves to blame. The Telecom Group fired, I mean sacked, no.. what was the bullsh*t bingo word they used? Ah… ‘disestablished’ 700 positions, and then scratched their heads when the rest of their workforce – who were already under pressure – began to buckle. Unfortunately, Gen-i has gone the way of EDS: becoming a low-balling non-deliverer. They (Gen-i management) won’t be doing anything about the skills shortages, they’ll be too busy patting themselves on the back while talking about abstract nonsense like “metrics” and “going forward.” And it’s very sad, because Gen-i is littered with very capable people who are following a layer of management so dumb it makes Dilbert look pedestrian.

    Any smart company will be engaging with tertiary institutes to foster a sort of work experience program like you get with high-schoolers and the traditional trades. As IT is a very broad industry, first and second year tertiary IT students can gain from working hands-on in real-world IT to see which areas of IT truely interests them. The NZQA should be considering taking that into account in their credits system as an incentive, I don’t expect any such companies to pay the students much, if at all, for their time – as the companies are investing in them, though that’s something else to think about altogether. After that settles in, push such a work experience program back to high school and you may find that wee issue of women in IT begins to cancel out too – but as you say, that’s thinking long term, which is a little too logical and rational for fools like those at the helm of a few of NZ’s larger IT providers.

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