IT professionals with management skills will be the most sought after in the future according to a recent debate about IT Skills for Tomorrow, by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Andrew Reid, Director, Microsoft Consulting Services said that there will be a need for deep technical skills in the future. But the people who will be valued most highly, will be those who combine their technical skills with an equally deep understanding of the business.
“This will enable them to architect the technology in such a way that it enables the organisation to differentiates itself from its competitors,” he said. Paul Jagger, from IBM said that it takes time to develop the right skills. Today, many organisations are looking for a 40 year old consultant who is 20 years earlier in their career, he said.
“There are a very select few who have that sort of ability and those who do, they will go on to be the next Mark Zuckerburg. We need to develop people, not just procure them.” Rubi Kaur, HMRC said that in thefuture, companies will need an IT function; however it will be more about strategic IT direction, concentrating on governance and management.
Jagger added: “It won’t be a discreet function in the future. It will be more strategic and will need to be linked implicitly to the organisation’s goals and deliver upon the objectives of the organisation.”