IT companies laying off staff may be top news in the media at present (Motorola being one recent notable example), but it doesn't mean demand for IT skills is going to decrease.

So says the Financial Times in an article today, which argues that, with internet becoming an increasingly integral part of the day-to-day operations of many organisations, the need for more people with knowledge of networks and internet-related software is becoming even more great.

The paper says that companies in the US and Europe are persuing three main strategies to deal with the problem: training, lobbying governments and educational establishments, and employing workers from overseas. However, US-based IT market analysts Giga Information Group argue that companies can do much more with the resources they already have, by using computer programmes to ensure projects are allocated to the right people at the right time.

Clearly knowledge management systems have a role to play here in establishing a flow of information and expertise around an organisation, but taking a more flexible recruitment approach can also help, according to Alcatel. The FT reports that the technology company has been using aptitude tests and six-week intensive training programmes to select and train employees coming from very different backgrounds. Among those retraining are lorry drivers and car assembly workers, it says. Cisco is another company looking to other sources to retrain people for IT jobs - its Networking Academy Programme delivered over the internet is designed to get students building and maintaining computer networks.

TrainingZONE says: It seems that the need to attract new entrants into the IT industry is forcing recruiters to adopt a more open recruitment policy based on competencies, which can only be a good thing.