The IT sector will be particularly important to the recovery of the UK economy amid increasing global competition, he added.
“I don’t see offshoring as a threat, but as a resource to the UK knowledge economy. We will continue to see a huge amount of work going on in Britain,“ he said.
Timms added: “Our worldwide connections mean globalisation presents a great opportunity that the government is determined to make the most of.”
The UK IT industry – which employs more than one million professionals and represents more than 10 per cent of the country’s GDP – must focus on its core strengths to thrive as a digital economy, he added.
In a similar vein, secretary of state for business, innovation and skills Peter Mandelson said at an industry event earlier this month that it was important to “intelligently intervene” in strategic areas such as IT, as well as help to up-skill workers to enable them to face the challenges ahead.
Over the past three months, Computing has run a high-profile campaign aimed at identifying the skills future IT leaders need to acquire, as well as providing a career development path to aspiring professionals against the backdrop of macro-economic and technological changes.
“It is very important to discuss [the future of UK IT leadership]. We need to look at the career pathways, as well as training needs to enable workers to take on roles in the fast-changing technical environment they operate in,” said Timms.
“It is not the case that all technical-level skills will be offshored – th ere is a huge amount going on in IT in the UK and there will be big demands for good skills at all levels [locally] over the next few years,” he said. “I think people in [the IT] industry have a lot to look forward to over the next few years.”
Timms said the predicted growth of the UK technology industry – the EU Commission forecasts IT services growth of four to five per cent next year – will be the result of advantages specific to the UK including established links with cost-effective service providers elsewhere.
“The historic links we have with countries like India is a source of strength for the UK industry and countries around the world can see the quality and value of that resource,” said Timms.
The predicted growth in outsourcing/offshoring, as well as increased business focus on technologies such as cloud computing, means UK IT should be trying to build knowledge around supplier management rather than “commodity” skills, said London 2012 chief information officer Gerry Pennell.
“Technology professionals should broaden their experience by spending time outside IT and thinking of themselves as business managers who happen to be functional specialists. Conversely, businesses should offer opportunities for IT people to gain experience in other areas,” he added.
IBM
White Paper download Pennell’s views echo points made by many IT leaders interviewed over the course of Computing’s campaign. These leaders unanimously agree that gaining international experience has become essential in an increasingly globalised technology market.
However, a recent survey on business attitudes to technology paints a rather depressing picture. Around 80 per cent of 156 UK IT leaders surveyed by recruitment firm Robert Walters find it difficult to get involved in any decisions made by the executive team.
In addition, 69 per cent of those polled said the biggest obstacle to
attaining a more senior IT leadership role is the lack of opportunities provided
by their employer.
On a more positive note, IT appears to be more valued by the board, with an
overwhelming 92 per cent of 100 CIOs surveyed by supplier Salesforce.com saying
their department carries greater sway now than it did 12 months ago.
This is particularly true of CIOs on the board at bigger companies as they face increasingly large IT costs to maintain old infrastructures and boards look to CIOs to help them reduce their IT spend, the study found.
