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Enhancing the employability of ICT students with hybrid skills: insights from a UK survey with small business managers

Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Abstract

This chapter describes an empirical study that aimed to collect UK small business managers’ views on the importance of staff skills in supporting their business operations and success. The study formed an important part of the HAPPINESS Project funded by the European Commission. The project proposed a hybrid skills model for identifying skill needs to meet the demand in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. It is argued that a competent ICT worker should possess not only technical skills, but also other skills such as skills in communication and management, and skills to enable them to operate effectively in a business environment. This argument is discussed in the literature and supported by the empirical evidence collected in the survey conducted with UK small business managers. The hybrid training approach proposed by HAPPINESS attempts to address the problem of skills shortage in ICT by developing appropriate training needs identification methods and matching the identified personal training needs with a proposed hybrid training provision. The challenge, however, remains for higher education institutes and training organizations to prepare ICT students to respond to the hybrid skill needs of enterprises.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 349-370

Publication milestones

  • Published - 01/01/2007

Publication status

Published - 01/01/2007

Publisher

IGI Global Scientific Publishing, United States

ISBN (Print)

9781599041148

ISBN (Electronic)

9781599041162

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/251114
  • Scopus: 84901509838

Host publication title

Information Systems and Technology Education: From the University to the Workplace

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