Over the last 10 to 15 years IT has been an integral part of our life, both personally and in business, we all use it, love or loath it. (Business Bescotti is part of our reliance on ICT, and helps us to network like never before).

The average age of people supporting IT in businesses today is currently around 42 years old, and as new technologies are being released on a weekly basis we are heading for a large skills gap in business IT support.

Do you think it is time to start giving the younger generation the opportunity to develop these new technologies for our businesses, along with providing them the personal skills and opportunities to carry our businesses forward and avoid the skills gap?

The reason I ask this question is that everyone is looking for experience, but to have experience, you must be given the opportunity to gain it.

What personal and IT skills are important to your business? And do you think youth is the answer?

Look forward to your replies.

It is true we have to invest in our younger generation, not just ICT skills but in life skills. There is an organisation in Manchester that ask business people to be mentor's to pass on their life skills.

Many thanks for your reply Bibby, young people need to be given the chance to develop to be able them to step into employment. Do you know if the mentor programme in Manchester has been well received by businesses? as this sounds an excellent way to give young people the required skills for work.

As someone over the average age you quoted I see most people in IT as younger than me. But I suspect most business people instinctively feel that the young have a distinct advantage in technological savviness that will keep them competitive. I don't mind picking my son's brains from time to time as he generally has a very different set of computing priorities to me that lead him to discover an app for this, or a hack for that, which I may find useful.

Just as long as he still calls on his old Dad when he gets stuck.

I think ICT as an integral part of the future needs to accomodate more younger people and offer them better structured career paths to encourage them at the 6th form level to become involved in ICT. There are so many options an ICT career offers to young people in terms of creativity and cutting edge development.

I think that there are a number of young people who want to progress into IT - it is my job (in part) to facilitate this. I am always looking for businesses who want to take on an enthusiastic, motivated and skilled person. It doesn't have to cost the earth either!

There are business schemes available right now where a business can take on an apprentice and pay the apprentice minimum wage of £2.60 per hour. On top of that there is a £1,500 cash incentive for SME's wanting to do this.

If you know anybody who may be interested in this then please let me know!

Cheers,

James
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