BCS calls for govt support for IT training

18:40 19th June 2008

Those embarking on IT training courses should be eligible for state funding, the British Computer Society (BCS) has argued.

While university students beginning maths, engineering, science and technology subjects this September can benefit from financial aid, those who choose computing degrees will not - a situation the BCS would like to see reassessed.

Dr Mike Rodd, Learned Society director at the BCS, told Computing that if the number of IT jobs available on the market continues to outstrip the flow of IT graduates from university, employers could look to recruit candidates from other disciplines.

"We are gravely concerned that the government is prepared to gamble on employees and employers picking up the cost, especially given the significance of the IT sector to the UK’s economy," he said.

The comments follow the assertion of Steve Furber CBE, Professor of Computer Engineering at the Manchester University's School of Computer Science, who claimed that the institution has seen a fall in applicants in recent years.

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