Erin Ruiz is a tech-savvy 17-year-old from Toronto who spends
most of her spare time in front of a computer. But when asked
whether she wants to make a career in Information Technology, the
answer is, "Probably not."
Ruiz is entering grade 12 in the fall and has her eyes set on
pursuing a program in international business or linguistics. She
and her family recently immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong, where
she says many computer science graduates are having a hard time
getting employment.
Not even the fact that her father is an IT professional can convince Ruiz to pursue a
career in the IT sector.
"IT is really not my thing. I tried it in high school where we
did programming; I know all the basics but I can't construct better
[programs], so I'm afraid I can't accomplish it and really wont be
successful, so I'd rather take up international business and
linguistics," explains Ruiz.
Universities and ICT industry associations are targeting
students like Ruiz, trying to sway them into pursuing a computer
science program, as part of a comprehensive drive to spur greater
IT enrolment.
A survey of Canadian universities conducted by the Software
Human Resource Council (SHRC) showed a constantly decreasing trend
in computer engineering, computer science and software engineering
enrolment, which is down 11 per cent between 2002 and 2005.
The SHRC is projecting a yearly demand of about 35,000 new
workers in the IT sector in Canada.
In 2003, computer science and computer engineering graduates
from Canadian universities was at 3,100, according to the SHRC Web
site.
"Where are the other 32,000 going to come from?" asks SHRC
president Paul Swinwood.
He adds that Canadian labour market reports are already showing
a two per cent unemployment rate in the IT sector indicating a
"very tight labour market."
Industry experts believe there is a huge misconception among
students, parents and career counselors about the prospects of an
IT career, which is directly resulting in lower enrolments.
"There is a shortage [of IT skills] because there is a
perception problem that happened in (the) post-dot-com and post-Y2K
(era), and as a result, parents and counselors are not aware of the
viability and vibrancy of the IT industry," says Stephen Ibaraki,
vice-president at the Canadian Information Processing Society.
This view is shared by many industry groups, including the
Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), which believes
the ICT industry is being hit by a "double whammy": the aging baby
boomers on one hand and, on the other, the false perception among
students that there are no jobs in IT, says Bernard Courtois, ITAC
president and CEO.
And the situation is expected to get worse before it gets
better, says Courtois. "It takes a number of years for people to
get to colleges and universities and go through the [computer
science] programs; it's a three- or four-year cycle."
Some IT organizations believe the IT skills shortage is no
longer "looming" over the industry but is already happening, here
and now.
Intuit Canada, developer of accounting software QuickTax and
QuickBooks, has decided to take matters into its own hands by
actively working with universities and government agencies to "get
people into the computer science programs."
Intuit recently commissioned a survey to study computer science
enrolment trends in various provinces in Canada which, as in other
studies before it, showed a "great decline."
In Alberta, for instance, despite a consistently high rate of
economic growth, the market for IT-related jobs has been
decreasing, according to the Intuit study. Demand for computer
professionals in Alberta in 2005 was about 27,938, while the supply
of skilled IT workers was higher, at 28,985.
This is discouraging students from enrolling in computer science
and engineering programs. At the University of Alberta, only half of the 130
available spaces in these programs were filled last year.
"Government and business should work together to help
educational institutions fill the computer science programs and
provide incentives there," says Stephen King, Intuit Canada
vice-president.
IT outsourcer EDS Canada is similarly taking a more proactive
approach to the skills shortage issue, according to the firm's
recruitment manager Deanna Spohn.
EDS is directly collaborating with various colleges and
universities, including the Northern Alberta Institute of
Technology, University of Manitoba, University of Regina,
University of Waterloo and McMaster University in Hamilton,
Ont.
By participating in job fairs and talking to the students about
the opportunities available at EDS, the company hopes it can
attract the specific skills it is looking for.
Part of its hiring strategy is establishing centres of expertise
that group specific skills into geographical locations. In
Winnipeg, for instance, EDS seeks out .NET professionals, while in
Ottawa it's J2EE and in Toronto and Durham Region the company
requires z/OS skill sets.
"[We're doing a] real education and awareness approach rather
than waiting for universities to say, 'We've got students that are
ready.' We want to go out and be there onsite," says Spohn.
Intuit's King suggests the skills shortage could also be alleviated
by creating a sound working environment that will increase the
chances of retention.
Programs such as career development and fitness programs are
some of the ingredients to keeping an employee satisfied, King
says.
SHRC's Swinwood says solving the IT skills deficit entails the
participation of all sectors involved: industry, educational
institutions and government.
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