Computing and Information Technology

The number of active components on a chip doubles every 18 months, so the hundreds of millions of personal computers around the world each have a power that makes a mainframe of just a few years ago look puny.

There were just 263 computers in the world in 1955, 6,000 in 1960 and 30,000 by the mid-1960s. The development of integrated circuits (chips) grew this figure to 250,000 by the mid-1970s and the subsequent explosion in the numbers of machines in use. The growth of the Internet has been phenomenal: 250,000 computers were connected in 1990, 6 million in 1995 and 72 million in 2000. Companies use it to market their goods and services – e-commerce – and most individuals and businesses now regard it as an essential tool. Complex machines and processes rely on IT to manage them effectively and it drives much of the world’s critical infrastructure.

In this article, the machines at both ends of the system will be considered and the connection between them excluded. We will also concentrate on the computing and IT industry professional, and not the individual who uses IT only as part of their job.

There are 1.2 million IT practitioners in the UK, working in ICT companies and as specialists in other organisations, as well as 4 million managers and leaders who need to understand how to realise the potential of IT, and 20 million people who use IT in their day-to-day work. Employment in the IT industry is forecast to grow at five to eight times the UK average over the next ten years. For the IT professional workforce that means 180,000 new people for new and replacement jobs every year.

Yet relatively few graduates enter this sector, and only 20 per cent of them are women. In the general workforce 90 per cent of new jobs require IT user skills; a quarter of businesses lack employees with the right IT skills now, and 7.6 million employees need to increase their skills to meet growing demand over the next three years. The sector action plan is to:

• make IT careers more attractive
• prepare the future workforce
• develop the existing workforce
• improve the existing infrastructure.

Although many companies and groups operate across the spectrum, the industry is usually described as divided into:

• computing services
• product suppliers
• hardware suppliers
• generic software makers
• specialist software makers
• systems integrators.

Computing and IT in the Services

Each Service has its ‘expert’ IT staff; they will know exactly who they are and where their particular skill set might lead. They are generally found in the specialist communications, administrative and electronics branches, although there may be some people serving outside those areas who have a considerable expertise. Some of these individuals will have relevant degrees, while others will have Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) or Certificates (HNCs).

There are also a number of people who have specialised in computing and/or electronics but only as part of their career pattern. They are still likely to have a number of very transferable and marketable skills, but they may need to be targeted in a particular area, or improved or widened in the period before leaving. Understanding the technology and how it is used, and knowing the language is critical to the individual who wants to work in this field in a second career, especially to anyone hoping to work in the ‘back end’ sector of the business where the big money is to be made.

Computing and IT on leaving the Services

The Career Transition Partnership offers training courses in computing and IT with details available at the website www.ctp.org.uk. Preferred suppliers and other training providers also offer courses in this field. Service leavers should gain as much academic knowledge as possible while still serving that can be enhanced by practical training during the resettlement period. Another tip is to get on to a resettlement training course early – close to one year before leaving – so that the training can be developed through self-study, academic qualifications (perhaps using Standard and Enhanced Learning Credits – see ‘Factfile’) through a college, and an industry placement nearer discharge.

Getting qualified in computing and IT

Academic qualifications provide a thorough grounding in the principles that will be highly relevant for future training, although much of the detail will rapidly become out of date. There are also both generic and vendor-specific qualifications. Generic ones certify achievements in the general field of computing and IT, while vendor-specific ones demonstrate a level of expertise in one manufacturer’s products. Many people hold both and even a portfolio of qualifications in the products of different manufacturers. It is often important to be able to operate across boundaries and across equipment.

Because today’s businesses need employees with IT user skills, the e-skills passport and range of IT qualifications have been developed. The latter is a flexible training and qualification programme designed by employers. The passport defines development needs, recording individuals’ progress and achievements.

Generic qualifications include academic courses. Degrees (Foundation or higher), HNDs or HNCs, are all highly valued, with the theoretical knowledge involved always being relevant. Degrees tend to be in Computer Science, with HNDs and HNCs in Software Engineering. An A-level or GCSE in Computer Studies might be the academic starting point for the beginner.

NVQs (Levels 1 to 5) and Apprenticeship are available, based on sector-approved National Occupational Standards, but some employers may not be very familiar with them, and some other qualifications may be more useful. Vocational A-levels, as well as GNVQs, may also be taken – usually through colleges – and these can provide a job-orientated qualification with a strong academic element. The experience gained in acquiring these qualifications will be valuable in finding employment.

The Comp TIA runs a series of qualifications, which can stand alone at a relatively simple level or may form part of another generic or vendor-specific programme. They cover:

• computer service
• network support and administration
• server hardware
• computer and information security
• home technology integration
• e-commerce
• certified trainer
• document imaging and management
• Internet and online technologies
• Linux operating systems
• project management.

The British Computer Society (BCS) has its own professional exams:

• the European Computer Driving Licence is the European-wide qualification that enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills
• e-citizen is a basic course teaching novices to operate online
• European Certification of IT Professionals defines the knowledge to be an IT practitioner (equivalent to a Level 4 Certificate and is a basis for all types of IT-related work)

• professional examinations equate at the highest level to an honours degree and acknowledge practical experience as well as academic abilities.

Vendor-specific qualifications are training and exams in a specific manufacturer’s products. The manufacturer should be a major supplier in the industry for its qualifications to have value, and the qualification that is so valuable today may be irrelevant tomorrow if the manufacturer goes out of business or there is a major change in technology. However, the principles will remain the same and any technology change is likely to be an evolution rather than a revolution, so that in reality qualifications do have greater value than simply during the shelf life of the product in question.

Microsoft qualifications are perhaps the best known, with the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer consisting of a number of exam passes, any one of which entitles the individual to be a registered Microsoft Certified Professional. The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator is also available, with its equivalent at the front end – programmes that interface with the user – being the Microsoft Certified Systems Developer.

Microsoft is not, however, the only manufacturer on the market, and other big players like Novell (Certified Novell Engineer and Certified Novell Administrator) and CISCO also have their own qualifications.

Training can be expensive, but employers like to see people investing in themselves, and the qualification may open doors to salaries that make the investment seem small.

Employment in computing and IT

Obtaining employment is inevitably a combination of:

• qualifications
• experience
• networking
• work placements
• the right CV
• going for the right job.

People entering similar employment to the one they had in the Forces may well start at the same level; those going into an unrelated field will probably start further down the ladder. Once into a company the employment possibilities are enormous in this expanding and changing industry. Permanent employment is often regarded as lasting three to five years, and people commonly change employer every two years or so. In-house training is often provided, and good people can achieve rapid promotion.

Salary expectations vary hugely from one company and contract to another. A relatively unskilled employee might earn from £12,000 to £18,000, a technician (engineer or analyst) £25,000 to £35,000, a manager (user, data, support), £35,000 to £45,000, and a head of services anything from £60,000 upwards.

Contact details

Computing Technology Industry Association, 1 Cornhill, London EC3V 3ND Tel: 020 7743 6150 Website: www.comptia.org

British Computer Society, 1st Floor, Block D, North Star House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1FA, Tel: 01793 417424 Website: www.bcs.org.uk

e-skills UK (Sector Skills Council), 1 Castle Lane, London SW1E 6DR, Tel: 020 7963 8920 Website: www.e-skills.com

Andy Saunders

Staff Sergeant Andy Saunders left the Royal Signals in 2002 after 22 years as a systems technician. Aged 44, he had served all over the world with operational tours in the Gulf and former Yugoslavia. He now rates ‘discipline, self-assurance, ability to work in adverse conditions, willingness to take on responsibility, working to fixed timeframes, and logical problem solving as skills the leaving soldier can use to his/her advantage.’

Formal training included Microsoft NT4 and Exchange 5.5 courses, with resettlement including a Career Transition Workshop and a ‘very well run and immensely useful MCSE package provided by 2KO in Cape Town’.

Living in Germany, Saunders ‘applied to St Clemens Hospital in Geldern for the position of system administrator and was offered the job after two interviews in German’. Now head of EDV-IT at the hospital, he manages a three-man IT department and network consisting of two Oracle databases, 10 servers and 200 PCs. He reports to the hospital director and is responsible for the security and integrity of patient data – very highly protected under German data protection laws.

‘It is quite frustrating when projects and some tasks take many times longer [than in the Services] to organise. Political correctness and tight financial constraints are something it takes a while to get used to.’ Despite promotion to department head, his salary is still 10 to 15 per cent less than it was in the RAF.