Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 07 | Page 29

TALKING BUSINESS Gareth Hawkey, CEO of redPanda Sofware I n a business environment that is now largely driven by innovative IT and software, there is massive demand for skilled and highly trained IT professionals. Sadly, as has been well documented, there is an increasingly dire shortage of these individuals in the local sphere. This lack in supply seems to be partly the result of a formal education system that is not adequately addressing the needs of local companies and providing a reliable pipeline of talent. As it stands, gaining entry to top universities remains hugely competitive (and often too expensive), and many students are opting for more traditional careers as doctors, accountants or engineers. In the short and long term, this means that there just aren’t enough young and ambitious people stepping into the IT industry to meet the ever-growing need. Global tech bigwigs adding pressure Simultaneously, this demand is being driven by global companies that are opening up branches in South Africa (e.g Amazon and Facebook) as well as the growth of South Africa as a prime destination for offshoring. Naturally, this places added stress on the imbalance between the supply and demand of IT talent. While these are the key factors behind the skills shortage, the mounting challenge for local companies is that IT salaries www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 29