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Whitehall departments are set to use procurement contracts as a way of boosting skills in the IT industry. Following a summit between the Government and IT industry, contractors were told that in order to win Government-funded IT contracts, they will have to meet a commitment to skills training. The Government currently spends almost £14bn a year on procuring IT services, and skills secretary, John Denham, said he wanted to make sure this contributed to improving the skills base of the IT workforce. To strengthen the commitment from Whitehll, information officers have committed all government departments and agencies to look at requiring successful contractors to have in place a development plan for their workforce. Improving skills across the whole IT sector will ensure the industry can compete internationally, and take full advantage of job opportunities which will arise in the future. The Sector Skills Council for IT, e-skills, claimed the industry would need around 131,000 people each year for the next 10 years and that most of these would be graduates. Mr Denham said: ‘We have to make every taxpayer's pound work as hard as we can. Wherever possible, government spending should not just provide good public services, it should also ensure young people are trained in the skills we need for the future. ‘The IT industry is one of the industries which is critical to the future of the British economy and its ability to survive and thrive, post-recession. ‘It's vitally important that British business has IT skills to draw on at all levels.'

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WHITEHALL

Partners 'set for key role to push IT skills'

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