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

Tue Jun 26 13:31:27 EAT 2007

Thanks for considering to take up the challenge, should you need any
assistance, i am willing to chip in in a small way though since am a bit new
to the business world, kindly spearhead this, thanks for the links i will go
through them and get back to the discussion list, i urge other members to
consider this issue as well

On 6/26/07, Njeri Rionge <njeri.rionge at igniteconsulting.co.ke> wrote:
>
>
> I am actually considering this very seriously, otherwise we will continue
> to have no edge as local indigenous Kenyans and African's 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
> dynamic's 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> <JKagwe at aforbes.co.ke> > wrote:
>
>  Please check it out…..Would someone tell them to and recruit in Kenya…
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
> 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/><http://www.igniteconsulting.co.ke/>
> *
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>
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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.
> *
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
Project Discovery
P.o. Box 21386
Nairobi 00100
Tel:
+254721325277
+254726544442
+254733229925
http://projectdiscovery.or.ke
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