The Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) are calling upon the government as an election issue to address the growing IT skills shortage in the UK which is a factor encouraging UK businesses to move their services overseas.

Employers are struggling to find the right staff with the appropriate skills to develop e-business projects and IMIS state that Chancellor Gordon Brown should use as part of his pre-election budget to provide tax relief to employers and staff for IT training.

This type of actions was endorsed by the Computing Services and Software Association (CSSA) who also stated that they will be pressing the government to provide incentives to encourage organisations and employees to train in IT.

This is a move aimed at trying to overcome the reluctance of employers to invest in training their staff as IT skills rapidly change.

IMIS are also trying to target IT managers that they work with their employers by offering high-quality IT aprenticeship programmes and form partnerships with colleges, universities and training companies to ensure that they are providing the appropriate students with e-commerce skills.

Problems that have been highlighted by IMIS

• Demand for communication consultants, network technicians and software engineers with comms skills.
  
• Salaries of network technicians and software engineers doubled in two years.
  
• Demand for Java, HTML,XML and internet-related skills has risen sharply.
  
• Shortage of e-business strategy skills.

• Form skills partnerships with universities and colleges.
  
• Treat training as an investment, rather than expense.
  
• Use loyalty programmes and transfer fees to retain staff.
  
• Offer high-quality apprenticeship programmes.

• Offer tax exemptions on IT training.
  
• Review funding and accreditation of colleges and universities.
  
• Review Research Council funding to help universities respond to new skills needs as they arise.