The Cloud and the rise of digital businesses are now at the heart of UK Plc. But according to the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) the vital role the Cloud now takes in driving innovation and growth could be put under pressure thanks to a skills shortage that appears to be developing.
CIF, the industry body whose aim is to raise standards and improve transparency in the Cloud sector, has recently launched a new initiative - its Individual Membership Programme. The scheme itself targets IT and business professionals alike and since its launch it has seen a rapid uptake in membership from those interested in understanding cloud computing.
The scheme aims to not only provide industry professionals with on-going resources pertinent to Cloud computing, but also provide a market-recognised and respected certification programme.
Alex Hilton, CEO at CIF, commented: “The recently launched Tech Nation Report issued by Tech City, clearly illustrates the issue of a skills deficit. According to its research some 43 per cent of businesses are facing a very real challenge to their growth because of a lack of access to talent. This was the number one reason above a lack of access to finance!
“Digital entrepreneurs and even established players in the IT sector are finding this challenge overwhelming and many are turning to local universities to recruit talent. The report itself states: ‘Inevitably the demand for digital skills in fast-growing, skills-intensive sectors within the digital tech industries will outstrip domestic supply,” he added.
“This was one of the driving forces behind the new Individual Membership Programme as CIF recognised very early on that there is a pent up demand from people to re-skill and up-skill.”
Individual members now have direct access to a range of assets including the latest market research on trends and issues affecting the Cloud computing industry, as well as an extensive online cloud resources library. The library - called the CIF Knowledge Hub - has over 300 papers and cloud resources available to its members. CIF has also developed a “Cloud Adoption Roadmap” as a framework to help its members identify key stages and steps associated with cloud adoption. Through this framework, CIF plans to help businesses accelerate and de-risk the cloud adoption journey
The Certification programme is being designed for those who work in IT operations, IT management and IT directors, as well as business personnel such as legal and procurement professionals. The programme will include a foundation exam as well as more specialised certification areas. The certifications will help professionals validate their cloud knowledge and understanding in this complex arena.
The Certification programme is due to be launched soon, and a new e-learning programme, that supports the certifications, is due to be launched in the next few weeks.
“With this membership programme – aimed at both the individual or even as a corporate package – we aim to provide a one-stop-industry-shop for IT professionals, business leaders and those involved in the Cloud procurement process.”
Membership costs reflect the fact that this is aimed at industry and business professionals. Standard membership fees are as follows;
CIF Individual Membership ?195 pa
CIF Individual Membership (student) ?95 pa
(Discounts exist for group memberships through corporate rates)
