[via Forrester Research]

Interesting. I am convinced, since I started to work, that you have to understand the Business, and if possible the specificities and business challenges of the industry you are working for (this takes quite a long time), to be able to *really* deliver some added value as an IT worker… and to avoid to be “offshored” or “nearshored” ;-)

The combination of accelerating retirement rates with a significant decline in the number of European students graduating from IT-related courses leads many firms to fear an IT skills shortage beginning in 2006. However, the reality is more complex, according to a recent report by Forrester Research, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORR). In the future, companies will see their IT skills requirements shift away from technicians and more toward business-oriented profiles. They will continue to outsource more routine activities. This shift in the enterprise impacts education and recruitment. In theory, the educational system should be able to rapidly create new programs to train IT/business analysts, architects, enterprise program managers, and vendor managers — skills that firms expect to need in greater numbers in the future; however, Forrester believes that, in practice, this will take too long to meet company demands.

While some companies may have a clear picture of their future IT skills needs in mind, few academic IT departments yet reflect this profile in their curricula; and — as Forrester uncovered in a parallel study of European technical universities and engineering schools — academia has barely begun to transform its IT programs. Meanwhile, many European countries can’t even generate a respectable level of enthusiasm for computer sciences among young people planning to enter higher education.

Forrester reports that many companies don’t renew “routine” positions in development and operations simply because they will outsource them. This trend is particularly evident in the finance and public sectors. However, outsourcing does not mean simplification. Companies that opt for global or selective outsourcing can’t afford to move all responsibilities and decisions to service providers. Security, enterprise and technical architecture, innovative solutions, new technologies, and evolving business remain critical challenges. The decisions should be made internally by people with high skill levels — positions that Forrester believes are not “offshorable.”