The information and communication technologies sector has experienced a skills shortage for many years, calling for dynamic education and training initiatives. The spread of computing services in all sectors has proved to be a major employment driver. Belgium Campus iTversity has taken the lead and tailored relevant IT courses which are aimed at empowering students and alleviating this shortage. By focusing and coming up with intelligent ways of closing the digital gap between the students and the industry, we have a better chance of producing needed, highly skilled and work-ready individuals.
At an organisational level, the effective use of ICT for information management is difficult without having appropriately skilled employees. The lack of expertise may have negative implications on the overall productivity of staff and on the profit turnover. Some organisations are taking initiative in an attempt to avoid this by investing in staff training programmes, which may include courses specifically in Organisation Information Management. It is a good initiative which benefits both the organisation and the personal development of individuals. However, if organisations had highly competent and well-trained interns or employees from the onset, it would enable businesses to effectively manage their information and as a result put them at the forefront of increased productivity and potential for a higher turnover.
Belgium Campus iTversity, a private higher education institution, constantly engages with the industry to stay abreast of the most recent developments in technology. This collaboration assists in the process of producing industry-ready graduates with high-quality Information Technology qualifications. These graduates hit the ground running when they start at an organisation and do not need much additional training to become productive employees. This is partly made possible by the feedback received from the industry, which is used to decide what must be included or removed from the curriculum and the structure of the IT courses offered. Belgium Campus iTversity believes in adapting and evolving at the speed that IT changes.
Adapting and evolving add sustainable value to the industry, which is one of the things at the top of our agenda. We believe that increasing the employability of people should be approached from a holistic point of view of balancing theory and practical work in academic qualifications. We encourage and promote the involvement of corporate companies in working together with higher learning institutions, schools and communities in developing various youth competencies.
Through this consistent collaboration with the industry, and the highly employable graduates that Belgium Campus produces, the gap between the unemployment rate and the skills shortage can decrease over time.
