by Una Sinnott
The Midlands is set to become an increasingly important technology hub, with up to 800 new ICT jobs expected to come online in the region over the next three years, new research has suggested.
The Midlands ICT Cluster Skills Survey, published this week, found that companies in the region expect to expand substantially by 2026. The ICT sector already employs more than 3,000 people across the region.
The research was carried out by the Midlands Regional Skills Forum, an industry and education partnership, on behalf of the Midlands ICT Cluster.
A key finding from the forum was that over 70 per cent of the companies which responded to the survey currently have critical vacancies, with significant opportunities for people skilled in cloud computing and software development (sought by 50 per cent of respondents ); data analytics, AI and machine learning (40 per cent ); and cyber security, networking, IT service management and project management (25 per cent ).
John Costello of the Midlands Regional Skills Forum, who conducted the survey on skills, talent, and education, said: “The results contain a strong endorsement of work, being carried out across the region, to enhance the level of skills available, from extensive schools programmes, to ICT career pathways, and third level qualifications, most notably by the fact that 60 per cent of businesses anticipate being able to hire from the pool of talented people already living in the region.”
