Every six months or so, Computing carries a story about the UK’s IT skills gap.

And every six months, interested parties bemoan the lack of suitable training, the industry’s image problems and the challenges of competition with the emerging economies of India and China.

That UK plc’s IT skills are not what they need to be cannot be disputed. Faced with increasing pressure from overseas, it is vital to the country’s economic survival that such gaps are addressed.

But the situation is not as simple as it first appears. And talking in blanket terms about a single IT skills gap may no longer be useful.

Some figures suggest it is high-end business acumen that is in crisis, others that it is technician-level skills. Some statistics include jobs that use IT – as almost all office jobs now do – along with actual IT professionals, some do not.

There are also apparent contradictions.

The skills user group The Institute for the Management of Information Systems says salaries are falling, suggesting an over-supply rather than the reverse.

And Computing regularly receives complaints from readers who cannot find work – either because there are no openings, they are seen as too old or employers are over-specific about the skills they require.

The government-backed skills review conducted by Lord Leitch and published alongside November’s Pre-Budget Report is a step in the right direction.

Leitch says the £3bn-worth of training funding for adults should be administered by sector skills groups, rather than the central Learning and Skills Council, to streamline consultation with employers and ensure training meets their needs.

The recommendations are good, though they will take time to bear fruit. By giving employers a greater voice than central administrators, the real gaps may finally be addressed.

Sadly, in the meantime, the skills gap stories will continue.

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