[kictanet] FW: Shortage of IT staff in SA------------Standard Bank

Tue Jun 26 13:16:50 EAT 2007

I am actually considering this very seriously, otherwise we will continue to
have no edge as local indigenous Kenyans and African¹s as a whole. On the
one hand we have the old structures taking over and the other hand, we have
the Chinese raring to go. Time is not on our side. See the following links
and this should get you thinking seriously. This is but a sample of the many
dynamic¹s we have to overcome through continued development.

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

http://www.cnnic.net.cn/download/2007/cnnic19threport.pdf

Capacity building should be something that we all take seriously at the
personal level, the notion that people expect their institutions to train
them whose time has passed, these views should change at the personal level.
The knowledge economy is here and it has already started flooding, we all
MUST stand up to be counted.

On 6/26/07 7:54 AM, "Barrack Otieno" <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree with you Njeri, i guess you are talking  about Outsourcing, i bet its
> time we developed strong business associations that are able to shape our IT
> professionals into well rounded business executives as you say, am sure you
> could spearhead that based on your experience
> Regards 
> 
>  
> On 6/25/07, Njeri Rionge <njeri.rionge at igniteconsulting.co.ke> wrote:
>> 
>> Hummm.....
>> 
>> Its time for IT specialists to sharpen and broaden their skill base this is
>> just but the beginning. In a little while this and other markets will be
>> booming and the success of businesses will be their ability to upscale using
>> ICT's. The skills therefore need to be developed quickly. This will include
>> capacity to sell, market, transact as well rounded business executives with
>> an IT bias. Off cause pure IT skills will still be needed, but the upgrade is
>> a necessity. 
>>  
>> Njeri, 
>> 
>> 
>> On 6/25/07 12:13 PM, "Kagwe James" <JKagwe at aforbes.co.ke
>> <mailto:JKagwe at aforbes.co.ke> > wrote:
>> 
>>> Please check it outŠ..Would someone tell them to and recruit in KenyaŠ
>>>  
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Business Day (Johannesburg)
>>> 
>>> 21 June 2007
>>> Posted to the web 21 June 2007
>>> 
>>> Johannesburg
>>> 
>>> THE Standard Bank is expanding its recruitment campaigns to suck in
>>> talent from India because it cannot find enough information
>>> technology staff locally. It has up to 100 vacancies to fill
>>> instantly and will need 300 recruits by the end of the year,
>>> including programmers, project managers and business analysts. Last
>>> year it hired 600 IT staff, and its total of 2500 means its in-house
>>> IT department eclipses many of SA's specialist IT groups.
>>> 
>>> "The shortage isn't breaking us," says its chief information officer,
>>> Jorg Fischer, but he is tired of postponing new IT projects because
>>> of a staff shortage.
>>> 
>>> "We want to try to complement our IT shop with Indian resources. We
>>> are always looking at the South African market, and we need to look
>>> beyond our borders," he says.
>>> 
>>> "It will give me another option for how to solve IT or business
>>> issues, instead of saying I don't have the people to do it. I want to
>>> make us more flexible and nimble so IT doesn't become a bottleneck in
>>> delivering."
>>> 
>>> As some technologies approach the end of their life, the bank will
>>> request proposals from Indian companies to maintain and support those
>>> applications. That will let the in-house technicians be reassigned to
>>> develop new applications to take the bank forward.
>>> 
>>> It should also give them a better career path and more interesting
>>> work, so they do not seek brighter prospects elsewhere.
>>> 
>>> The first tenders should be issued in the third or fourth quarter of
>>> this year and will target companies including Tata Consulting and
>>> Satyam, which already have operations in SA.
>>> 
>>> One example is the testing and integration of new software, which
>>> demands a large staff complement. That could be outsourced to Indian
>>> workers who could either be brought into SA or could conduct the
>>> testing processes remotely.
>>> 
>>> If projects to develop new systems also run into local skills
>>> shortages, technicians could be recruited from India. As part of the
>>> job description they would be expected to train South Africans
>>> working alongside them.
>>> 
>>> No-go areas for outsourcing will be designing the bank's IT
>>> architecture, project management and business analysis.
>>> 
>>> The idea was inspired by what is becoming a common practice for
>>> financial services organisations in the US and Europe. Although they
>>> mainly outsource to cut their costs, the Standard Bank will do
>>> it "because we don't have the people and the skills available,"
>>> Fischer says.
>>> 
>>> He expects many other local firms will follow suit to combat the
>>> skills crunch. The number of students studying IT at universities in
>>> SA, Europe and the US has decreased for three years, so the skills
>>> base is depleting. In comparison, India pumps out about 400000 IT
>>> graduates a year.
>>> 
>>> The bank hires many temporary contractors from the personnel provider
>>> Paracon, but Paracon has told Fischer it needs another 1000
>>> technicians to fill all the vacancies facing its customers. Its chief
>>> financial officer, Mireille Levenstein, says: "We have never been in
>>> such a situation where there is so much demand for IT skills, and the
>>> supply isn't there."
>>> 
>>> Paracon also looks to India for relief, and is flying in technicians
>>> after acquiring 34,6% of India's Nihilent Technologies last year.
>>> 
>>> Growth consultancy Frost & Sullivan analyst Lindsey McDonald says
>>> SA's skills shortage is reaching chronic proportions and fuelling the
>>> trend for outsourcing. Yet the third-party service providers are also
>>> struggling to attract and retain skilled staff.
>>> 
>>> "In order to build a reserve of skilled personnel, service providers
>>> should show higher levels of commitment to skills development," she
>>> says.
>>> 
>>> A report by the Economic Intelligence Unit shows that India's quality
>>> of service and low costs make it the destination of choice for
>>> outsourcing application development and management.
>>> 
>>> Countries such as Brazil and Russia are ramping up their outsourcing
>>> capabilities to become more attractive to foreign customers, but
>>> research by Accenture says the cost benefits and experience to be
>>> found in India are often too large to ignore
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ===================================================
>> Njeri Rionge
>> Chief Executive Officer
>> Ignite Consulting Limited
>> Eden Square 7th Floor
>> Chiromo Rd, Westlands
>> P. O. Box 15568 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya
>> T: (254 20) 3673250‹9
>> E: njeri.rionge at igniteconsulting.co.ke
>> http://www.igniteconsulting.co.ke <http://www.igniteconsulting.co.ke/>
>> 
>> Professional & Life Skills Coaching, Quality Management Systems, Health
>> Safety, Food Safety & Environment Management Systems, Lead Auditor Courses
>> that are Internationally Accredited by IRCA, Training on Conformity and
>> Compliance based on International Standards (ISO), Business Management,
>> Organizational Development, Capacity Building and Strategy Facilitation and
>> Development. 
>> 
>> IT Solutions:- eDocuments Management, Data Management, Disaster Preparedness
>> and Hosting and Management Services for all your IT needs. Services delivered
>> to you by Ignite Technologies an Ignite Consulting Division focusing on
>> Systems Integration.
>> 
>> 
>>   
>> 
>>   
>> 
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> 
> 

===================================================
Njeri Rionge
Chief Executive Officer
Ignite Consulting Limited
Eden Square 7th Floor
Chiromo Rd, Westlands
P. O. Box 15568 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya
T: (254 20) 3673250‹9
E: njeri.rionge at igniteconsulting.co.ke
http://www.igniteconsulting.co.ke

Professional & Life Skills Coaching, Quality Management Systems, Health
Safety, Food Safety & Environment Management Systems, Lead Auditor Courses
that are Internationally Accredited by IRCA, Training on Conformity and
Compliance based on International Standards (ISO), Business Management,
Organizational Development, Capacity Building and Strategy Facilitation and
Development. 

IT Solutions:- eDocuments Management, Data Management, Disaster Preparedness
and Hosting and Management Services for all your IT needs. Services
delivered to you by Ignite Technologies an Ignite Consulting Division
focusing on Systems Integration.

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