CompTIA challenges North West’s digital skills shortage with free IT boot camp

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has collaborated with the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership to create a free training programme that will help boost IT employment in the North West of England.

The 16-week training programme, called IT-Ready, focuses on necessary tech and soft skills, as well as communication, conflict management and critical thinking.

The programme was developed in 2012 by CompTIA’s tech workforce charity Creating IT Futures. CompTIA reported that 85% of IT-Ready graduates were employed in a paid IT role with local area companies within four months of taking the programme, typically earning £16,000 - £18,000 per year.

Lancashire Local Digital Skills Partnership regional coordinator Kerry Harrison said the programme would aim to deliver IT training to adults with commitments who might not otherwise have the time to up-skill.

“The proposed flexible delivery model will allow a greater range of people to access the training by fitting around their current employment or caring responsibilities,” she said.

The digital skills shortage in the UK is part of a wider worldwide trend, with as many as 1.8 million IT jobs predicted to be unfilled by 2022.

“The UK tech industry is booming and we now boast more than 165,000 core IT job roles. However, only about one in 10 of these roles are actually getting filled,” said Graham Hunter, CompTIA’s VP of Skills Certification. “With IT-Ready, we are helping more adults get the training they need to boost their career, earn family-sustaining salaries and boost the UK’s digital economy.”

Applicants can enrol via www.creatingitfutures.org/lancashire by 21 February. The IT-Ready hybrid course and the programme is scheduled to start on 7 March.