SBA

Last Chance

This article probably isn’t for you. Well it might be, we’ll come to that, but more likely it’s for your offspring. Have a gander then pass the paper over to the younger generation and tell them to get in quick …

For those leaving school, or university, this is a strange time of year. Decisions made recently, or about to be made, may influence the rest of your lives. Careers beckon, entry into the world of adult work. In a previous article I mused about the impacts of the next wave of industrial automation and the frightening forecasts that around a third of current jobs in the UK are highly susceptible to computerisation over the next twenty years. Where then can reliable long-term employment be found? 

Unsurprisingly one of the professions with the best future prospects is Information Technology. Somebody has to design, create and service the wondrous automations that are supposedly heading our way - the three big bright spots on the careers horizon are IT, Medicine and Care. For those about to enter the world of work now is the time to make one of the most important life decisions; fortunately the Manx ICT Association (MICTA) has conspired with the Department of Economic Development and University College Isle of Man to make it easy.

Sixteen of our local IT companies are offering two-year Digital Apprenticeships to young people over sixteen; up to twenty-three places in total, which will combine workplace experience, one day per week of classroom work, real-world industry training - all on Island, and a remote soft skills learning program (understanding how to deal with the people who use IT is as important as understanding the technical side). The course will lead to a BTEC Level 3 in information and technology.

The apprenticeships start in September, and apprentices will be employed for the duration of the apprenticeship, paid a wage and gain exposure to the ICT community on the Island. The expectation is that the apprentices will be offered employment by the host company at the end of the 2 year term.

That’s the pitch - stay on-island along with friends and family and get paid for learning your way into one of the most secure, prosperous, exciting and influential professions of the future. Make the right decision and you can be set up for life. When you consider the alternatives it sounds like a pretty stunning offer.

But won’t you need a Computing degree to really get on in IT? Simply, No. I may have a lot of letters after my name but a degree in Computing is not amongst them. Bill Gates ain’t got one either, nor has Mark Zuckerberg or the late Steve Jobs. Because IT is constantly evolving, IT professionals need to learn new things every day; two of the keys to success are curiosity and innovation - doing stuff that is often too new to learn in class. A degree may help, but it’s far from necessary for success. IT is one of the professions most accommodating of those who are not suited to academia.

So there it is. Tempted? Get your application in before the end of August - that’s before the end of tomorrow for those of you reading today’s paper. Apply online NOW at http://my.employed.im/micta - sieze the opportunity while it’s on offer, this is your last chance.

Not a school or university leaver but looking for a career / career change? This offer applies to you too. Some of the best IT workers I have employed have come into the profession late after a few years pursuing a career which they eventually realised was taking them down the wrong path. IT is one of the professions most welcoming to those who come late to the party and I have previously employed converts from HR, Retailing, Marketing, Accountancy, Teaching and Mechanical Engineering amongst others. 

Anyway, whether you’re just leaving education or looking for a career change, if you fancy working in IT “Your Island Needs You!”, and MICTA has set up a great opportunity for you to enter the IT profession.

What do you need to succeed? The most successful people in IT have three qualities; curiosity - particularly a desire to get to the bottom of how things work, logic - the ability to understand that A, B is naturally followed by C not D, and an interest in people. The people element is half of the job, we have all heard the stereotypes of programmers who are happiest talking to their computers, but the best IT professionals are those who first talk to people and get to understand what they really want and why before they rush off to put the technology together. IT is a people business, hence the inclusion of soft skills in the MICTA apprenticeship programme.

What will you learn? Certainly not everything about IT & Computing - with thirty-five years in the profession I’m still learning, nobody can know everything. The mandatory modules of the BTEC qualification include Communication and Employability Skills for IT, Computer Systems, and Information Systems - note that the first item on the list is Communication Skills; as I said above IT is a people business. Computer Systems is about the nitty-gritty of hardware, networking, operating systems etc., and Information Systems is about turning these into something useful by adding application software and processing data to create information.

These three; the people, technology and information skills, are merely the base foundation work and will take up about a quarter of the formal classroom learning. Beyond these the other three-quarters of formal learning will be filled by subjects of your choice from a menu of forty or so optional modules covering technology, software design and development, graphics, web design, e-commerce, cyber security, networking, systems administration, business analysis, project management and other topics which will allow you to assemble the knowledge toolkit you need to specialise in the aspects of IT which interest you most.

I hope I’ve sold you on the idea. The MICTA Digital Apprenticeship is an ideal route for younger people to enter the IT profession, and the island is incredibly fortunate that our local IT companies have come forward with twenty-three apprenticeship spaces in this new scheme.

You don’t need to be a maths or science wizard - when I started in the industry it was common to hire people with foreign language skills - an aptitude for languages can be very useful when trying to talk to computers. You don’t need to have been programming your home computer for years, or building your own - these things help because they show interest in technology but they’re not necessary.   As an aside, I started my working life in broadcasting. How I found my way into computing is a long story, but nevertheless it’s been “a nice little earner” for thirty-five years - as it could be for you. 

Get your application in by the end of Wednesday 31st August - do it now. If you don’t apply you won’t get on the scheme, this is your last chance.  http://my.employed.im/micta