The rate of unemployment in our society is increasing every day. Many people are being retrenched by their employers because of the economic hardship (recession) in the country. Many firms are not able to meet their financial obligations. Young graduates are roaming the streets, doing nothing meaningful – NO JOBS? there are jobs. For example, “Over the next 10 years, there will be 1 million more computing jobs than students to fill them” according to computer science zone .org. The problem is that many of the youths made wrong choices. Some entered university to study just any course to be called “a graduate” without carefully considering the future realities.
Becoming a graduate is good but studying a course that has a very big potential after graduation should be one of the major considerations when choosing a course of study. You don’t have to study Engineering, Law, Medicine because you want to be called an Engineer, a lawyer or a doctor. Or maybe because you know of a reputable person who studied any of these courses and is doing well in their career. All these names cannot put food on your table. What does is the ability to be creative, innovative and the enabling environment to do so.
Information and communication technology (ICT) is that field that would equip the youths with the needed skills and the opportunity to do exploits in this 21st century “Internet of Everything” economy.
Information and communication technology (ICT) touch nearly every aspect of the life we live today. Information Technology enables seamless integration and communication between businesses and processes anywhere in the world. To keep IT systems running, a large workforce is needed to maintain networks, create new software, and ensure information security. The reality is that there’s a huge shortage in IT related skills. Global demand for cyber security experts is the “largest human capital shortage in the world” according to Financial Times.
According to USA Bureau of labor statistics “Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations”…… outpacing similar professional, scientific, and technical industries and the economy as a whole”. Cisco “estimates there are more than 1 million unfilled security jobs worldwide”.
The two major cyber security certification body in the world ISACA and (ISC)2 predicts “2 million global cyber security professionals shortage by 2019” and that “companies and public sector organisations will need 6m security professionals by 2019 but only 4.5m will have the necessary qualifications”
We need to do more in providing the youths with the needed skills to secure their future in the 21st century workplace.
According to Unicef “The potential for ICTs to support youth development is significant in theory, but many youth around the world still face barriers when it comes to ICT access and effective use of these tools”.
iT4YUs is focused on eliminating those barriers, developing youths with the needed skills in information technology to become independent, innovative, tap from the boom of “Internet of Everything economy” and develop a better society for us all.