Software Company Case Study
ICS Computing
The ICT sector in Northern Ireland continues to experience
considerable growth with headline-making contracts being agreed
every month. The biggest area of growth is taking place
within the software industry. This high value, fast moving part
of the local economy in particular requires an increasing
number of people opting to study relevant courses at university
level, and to qualify to go on to occupy jobs in the
sector.
However, while an increasing number of software professional
jobs are being created the growth in demand is not being
matched by the number of applicants opting for computer and
software engineering related degrees at University.
With Northern Ireland companies needing skilled graduates many
have turned to the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges
(ANIC) managed 'Software Professional Course' (SPC). The
course is Northern Ireland's only graduate conversion course,
especially tailored to train non-IT graduates for a career in
the software industry. The course offers 100 graduates
the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of computer systems
and software development and opens the door to an exciting
career in IT.
One company to take advantage of the SPC and its graduates
has been Belfast based, ICS Computing. Founded in 1966 as
Independent Computer Services (ICS) it is now part of the
W& R Barnett Group and is renowned for the quality of its
people, products and services - boasting an impressive list of
blue chip and public sector clients.
ICS, however, is aware that in order to be able to
continue to meet and exceed client expectations it must
continue to attract high calibre staff. For three years
now ICS has been a strong supporter of the SPC and as Charlie
Tuxworth, General Manager of the Public Sector Software
Division of ICS explains the course provides a solution to the
current recruitment problems faced by many ICT providers;
''There are fewer & fewer graduates coming out of the
Northern Irish Universities with IT related qualifications, and
those that do now seem to be less likely to stay in Northern
Ireland than in the past''
The work by Invest NI and other organisations to encourage
investment from abroad has impacted the market place
considerably, with large multinationals setting up in Belfast
and creating tens or even hundreds of jobs at a time.''
Prior to the SPC ICS had spent time investing in its
operations abroad, and opened a development centre in Chennai,
India. One of the reasons for this expansion was the
availability of skilled employees and the difficulty in
recruiting qualified staff in Northern Ireland.
''The key drive for this expansion has been the low
availability of additional people here rather than any cost
differential between staff in Belfast and Chennai.''
As an organisation, ICS first became involved with the SPC a
number of years ago when Momentum introduced them to the
scheme.
''With the number of ICT graduates falling we saw the
SPC as an excellent opportunity for ICS to avail of the
graduates skills, while giving them the opportunity to work and
gain valuable experience within a well established IT
organisation.''
The fact that graduates have been fast-tracked in their
career as software developers - imbibing all the necessary
knowledge during an intensive 35 week period - has not deterred
potential employers and in fact in many cases it has added
depth to an applicants appeal and ability.
''In terms of specific candidates we had a much higher
response rate this year from the SPC than from many other
universities. We have found that the level of ability and
understanding from the SPC graduates compares well against
graduates from an IT discipline. We have found that those
with a non-IT background provide a different perspective when
troubleshooting.''
Many of the senior staff currently working at ICS is from
diverse backgrounds. Charlie Tuxworth in fact came from a
Graphic Design & Computer Animation background rather than
pure IT, and the two most recent graduates recruited by ICS
have come from the SPC.
''The IT Academy candidates show a high level of maturity
and are work focused. I've also found that people from non-IT
backgrounds often approach problems from a different angle to
those trained in IT, and this is often beneficial when
analysing problems and customer requirements.
''In the current climate, it is essential that people from a
non-IT background are able to make the transition across into
IT, and the SPC course is pivotal in achieving that goal. I
would recommend the SPC course to other ICT organisations.
Recruitment currently requires the exploration of all options,
and ICS has been impressed with the calibre of SPC graduates
and their work ethic.''
