INFORMATION Technology (IT) is the driving force of a globally competitive economy, underpinning innovation, competitiveness and long-term prosperity.
It is of critical importance to the growth of the Northern Ireland economy and to achieving long term prosperity and economic security across all sectors.
Research by e-Skills UK shows that one in every 33 people working in Northern Ireland is employed in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and employment in the IT industry in Northern Ireland is forecast to grow by more than eight times the national average over the next decade. This is already ref lected in the steady growth of local software companies and the rising number of global organisations which are choosing to locate to NI.
It has been suggested that exploiting the full potential of this sector could boost NI’s economy by £0.8bn over the next five to seven years. Emphasising the importance of the technology sector and the opportunities which it presents for the Northern Ireland workforce, the Minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, recently said: “The importance of STEM skills to this sector cannot be underestimated. He added: “The breadth of opportunities available to those following STEM study and the transferability of the skills that can be acquired as a STEM graduate are far reaching.” Careers in ICT range from IT support and service technician roles in software and systems development, to web design, consultancy and management, business analysis and network engineering roles.
ICT opportunities exist across retail, financial services, telecommunications, broadcast media, digital media, manufacturing, transport and the public sector, with companies offering attractive recruitment packages and competitive salaries.