Industry news

A new SaaS product has been launched to monitor minor, but important changes to websites i.e. terms and conditions, white papers and privacy policies. This is allowing companies unprecedented awareness of what’s being said on the websites of clients, competitors, industry and regulatory bodies.

Joel Halbert, co-founder of WebAlertPro said: “WebAlertPro automatically monitors websites and web pages, identifying changes made to their content. Our beta trial has shown particular enthusiasm for the product from marketeers and product managers who relish receiving a single daily email alerting them to the activities of their competitors.”

Exam results are out again and, for the IT sector, make for disturbing reading. It’s not the actual results that are the real problem - it’s the worryingly low number of runners and riders. This summer, a paltry 4,002 people took IT at A Level (just 0.5% of the total number of students).

Mathematics had a similar problem a while ago. This year, its number of A-level students is up 7%.

Unfortunately, IT is heading in the opposite direction. A-level take-up is down 1.8% on last year - a continuation of a worrying trend that has seen IT attracting less and less students for 8 consecutive years.

At GCSE, the swell in disinterest is even more dramatic - IT’s adoption rate has plummeted by 23% this year alone, and when compared to 5 years ago, by an alarming 57%.

Add in the news that some schools could be removing IT A-levels from their curriculum - due to a reduction in funding for Sixth Form students - and it looks like the decline in IT student numbers is a trend that will continue for many years yet.

Coming at a time when Information Technology is more important than ever - where computers touch every aspect of our lives - this situation, long-term, is a potential time bomb for the IT industry.

Unless this situation is addressed effectively, there could come a time when IT is sent offshore not just for reasons of cost effectiveness, but because there’s no-one left in the UK who can do the job anymore.

But, the example of A-Level Mathematics proves that the situation is not hopeless - it proves that young people do listen when the benefits and opportunities of taking a particular option are made clear to them.

There are opportunities in IT. The skills are in demand. We need to make sure, as a nation, that we take steps to fill this gap and ensure that the UK IT professional does not become an extinct species.

There is an argument for making IT compulsory at GCSE, but not apparently, with the current course content. I read an article recently where John Hoggard, programme manager at Intellect said: "Take up of IT courses is falling and the basic IT skills being generated by the education system are not meeting learners' or employers' needs.

Technology companies often have to spend considerable time up-skilling new employees as a result."

It brought to mind my recent comments during the Guardian Online offshore debate. I suggested that, in an attempt to reduce the temptation to offshore, the government should encourage private sector organisations to provide UK citizens with accredited skills training.

Tax concessions could be offered, or covenants built into the tender when big business is competing to win a government IT contract. Bidders would be challenged to demonstrate their skills and training programmes to develop the talent in their area….

I know that big companies like IBM, Microsoft and Capgemini already run apprenticeships. This is fantastic - more companies should offer universally-recognised skills programmes. But, what I’d like to see, is employers getting involved in deciding how kids learn IT in schools. This would take things a step further.

If government lets the private sector get to grips with the Information Technology curriculum, perhaps even to the point of training teachers, or seconding technical staff into classrooms - it could bring classrooms alive, with real life examples of the full spectrum of IT work, and projects based on actual industry issues.

A whole new generation of potential IT professionals would have their eyes opened to the wealth and breadth of opportunities in Information Technology. Win-win-win: Employers get better candidates, school leavers have improved prospects and the UK gets to keep its IT sector onshore long term.

The market for Information technology outsourcing (ITO) is expected to reach $313.2bn in 2011, growing 6.9% on 2010, according to an online survey by Gartner.

Winning new clients is seen as a new priority for 45% of ITO providers, with 62% of respondents identifying growth as the top strategic goal this year. It is hoped this with be achieved will be achieved through investing in cloud, utility and "as a service" offerings.

Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Rolf Jester said: “It is clear that providers are optimistic despite considerable uncertainty in the global economies.”

BAE Systems has announced it has developed a Star Trek-esque invisibility cloak that makes tanks invisible to the enemy.

The invisibility cloak, called Adaptiv uses on board thermal cameras to record the tanks surroundings. It then relays the information to the external cloak, which is made up of hexagonal pixels that can change temperature very quickly. This renders the tank invisible to infra-red sensors at makes them extremely difficult to detect at night.

The technology also has the capability can also make tanks look like a cow.

West Dunbartonshire Council has rejected a detailed shared services proposal, preferring in localised, ring-fenced services, a plan that flies in the faces of other the Scottish councils looking to merge key back office functions.

The council has rejected the notion that the Clyde Valley Partnership would save taxpayer cash and improve service quality. The scheme hoped to save £30 million per year. As the second council to drop out - from the partnership of eight – the future of the scheme could be in doubt.

Infosys is expanding into the US, where it expects to hire 1000 non-Indian staff in the near future, says Nandita Gurjar, Infosys’ Global Head of HR, who will this month relocate to the USA to oversee the hiring.

Nandita Gurjar, also commented that non-Indian employees will eventually constitute 15 per cent of Infosys’ total workforce. Gurjar says being based in its largest market will provides "a ground-level understanding of what areas we need to address as a global corporation".

HMRC, the Office of National Statistics and the DVLA could be affected as PCS union members at Fujitsu vote in favour of strike action.

Of 720 members 65% voted for a strike, and 85% for other forms of industrial action. There was a 63% turnout. Strikes could now take place in September and October.

The industrial relations issue has come after continued dissatisfaction over the treatment of a Unite union member Alan Jenney.

Workers feel he was unfairly dismissed by Fujitsu due to his position as a union rep. During headcount cuts at Fujitsu, other staff members were redeployed. Workers feel Mr Jenny was unfairly targeted by management.

Value of new contracts signings is at its lowest level for 8 years, says analyst firm Ovum

Total contract value (TCV) of deals announced in this quarter was just $19bn (£11.8bn) – down 40% on the same perios last year – this is the lowest TCV has been since 2003. "The distinct lack of large deals on offer was a major contributing factor, combined with the on-going lack of demand from private sector firms, particularly in the US," said Ed Thomas, Ovum analyst.

LBM, a provider of multichannel contact centre outsourcing, digital and data services, has invested £1million in transforming its contact centre in Altrincham.

Mark Bates, LBM chief executive said: “This project is one example of the many investments we are currently undertaking to further enhance the services we deliver on behalf of clients.”

FirstGroup has announced that it will use technology which merges the swipecard and the debit card, to directly take the fares from passengers’ bank accounts rather than needing, like the Oyster, a trip to the booking office or website to top up.

“FirstGroup has been slow coming to the table on this but what we wanted to do is get the future proof technology right,” said Giles Fearnley, who became FirstGroup bus chief earlier this year. “This card gives genuine pay as you go. It will enable us to market personalised fares, to tailor pricing and offers, and reward regular users”