Technical skills alone are not enough, says report

Citation

(2001), "Technical skills alone are not enough, says report", Education + Training, Vol. 43 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2001.00443hab.003

Technical skills alone are not enough, says report

Technical skills alone are not enough, says reportKeywords: Information technology, Skills, Technology, Science

While the dot-com meltdown has dented prospects, IT graduates can still find good jobs in a buoyant economy, as can electronics engineers and biotechnologists. But not all science, technology and computing degrees are of equal value in the labour market, and technical skills alone are not enough. Graduates need to be numerate and have good interpersonal skills if they are to succeed in today's labour market of contrasts.

The claims are made in Science, Technology and Computing Graduates, a report by the Institute for Employment Studies. Richard Pearson, IES director, and co-author of the report, said: "IES research shows that the science and technology labour market is diverse and has many contrasting features. In key areas, such as computing and some areas of engineering, skill shortages abound, yet the numbers entering degree courses are falling. In the life sciences and other areas, however, many new graduates struggle to find suitable employment."

While the UK produces as many scientists and technologists as most of its OECD competitors, years of expansion and campaigns to boost women's participation in technology-based subjects have still not dented the traditional gender bias. While women now comprise over half of full-time undergraduates, and almost 60 percent in the biological sciences (including over 80 percent in psychology) there are lows of 14 percent in engineering, 21 percent in computing, and under 20 percent in physics.

The IES research also shows a great dependency on overseas nationals at postgraduate level, especially in engineering and technology, where overseas students account for over half the postgraduates. The importance of these high representations is that many non-EU nationals will not be available to work in the UK labour market, although work permits are getting easier to obtain in areas where there are recruitment difficulties.

Richard Pearson concluded: "The numbers studying and graduating in computing have been rising fast and are still predominantly male. After graduation, they are the most likely to be in graduate jobs. The numbers studying and qualifying in engineering and technology have, however, been falling, despite being in demand and having positive employment outcomes; they are again predominately male. The boom subjects in terms of numbers graduating have been the biological sciences, where women still predominate, yet they continue to show the weakest transitions into employment, with lower propensities to be in 'graduate' jobs. The numbers graduating in these subjects are, however, expected to fall from 2001."