In its ‘ICT Skills Audit’, the non-profit training promotion agency, Fastrack to IT (FIT), estimates that there are 4,500 vacancies in Ireland’s ICT sector. These are not being filled, because of “the severely limited supply of suitably skilled applicants”. The study, based on a survey of 38 IT multinationals and SMEs, shows that many of the vacancies are at the intermediate-skills level, and could be filled after training programmes of six to 24 months.
Read more: IE: Severe’ ICT skills shortage highlighted by 4,500 vacancies
The yet to be published eHealth Strategy is also expected to recommend that all patients are assigned an IHI, which will be linked to the new public service cards currently being rolled out by the Department of Social Protection.
Speaking to IMN last week at the World of Health IT conference, the Head of ICT at the Department of Health Mr Kevin Conlon explained that work on the introduction of IHIs was at an advanced stage; however, it would need to be backed by legislation under the new Health Information Bill.
Read more: IE: Individual health identifiers for doctors and patients imminent
The debate surrounding the introduction of computing classes in Irish schools has been simmering for the past two years, fuelled by the popularity of the CoderDojo movement, and companies citing a lack of skilled graduates to fill ICT positions.
With 900,000 ICT vacancies predicted across the European Union in 2015, bridging the skills gap could present Europe’s young with some great opportunities, according to Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton.
Read more: IE: Coding is still struggling for time in the classroom
A recognition, albeit a late one, that large organisations including Government, need an expert leading public sector IT strategy and delivery.
Mr McCluggage describes himself as a self-confessed builder and innovator - two skills he is very likely to need, as he attempts to lead the transformation of Irish eGovernment and bring about change in the public sector here.
Read more: IE: Challenges and opportunities for Government's new Chief Information Officer
The second element of the plan that Howlin revealed last year saw the return of a phrase that many of us believed was consigned to the dustbin of technology history: e-government.
Read more: IE: E-government returns to vogue to banish the austerity blues