New ICT Programmes Required The vast majority of employees in the ICT industry need a different focus. Their major activities include the development of application oriented solutions; implementation, management and support of ICT systems; ICT selling and consultancy. The majority of graduates increasingly need a combined qualification from both the engineering and informatics cultures as well as from other related disciplines such as business and behavioural skills.
Combine elements of Electrical Engineering & Informatics This different focus of the ICT industry’s needs in terms of technical skills is summarised in fig.1. The core Generic Skills Profiles (see www.career-space.com) are placed along the technical skills axis between engineering and informatics just to indicate the wide range of skills profiles in the ICT industry. Traditional engineering programmes are still needed, as are the traditional informatics programmes but they do not adequately cover the whole range or the middle ground, this is why the new ICT curricula are needed.
Therefore, the Career-Space consortium would urge universities who see themselves as endeavouring to meet the needs of the ICT industry to create and develop new curricula which contain elements from electrical engineering, elements from informatics, and a significant focus on the teaching, training and practising of behavioural and business skills.
Figure 1 The profile of ICT industry’s needs for Degree Qualifications depicting new curricula which combine elements of traditional engineering and informatics programmes
