wraggster
October 5th, 2011, 22:39
A report from e-skills on the needs and concerns of the UK technology industry has revealed that the gaming sector appears to be struggling to find appropriate graduates - something which isn't troubling other tech areas.
All other industries rated the availability of graduates very low on the list of concerns in the report (https://www.e-skills.com/Documents/Research/Tech-Insights-2011/eskills_2011_TechInsights_UK.pdf), but for the games sector it was rated as the third biggest worry.
Two thirds of companies had problems recruiting staff this year, the report claims, with most predicting an increase in demand not only for the number of skilled staff required, but also their level of skill and experience.
"The UK has always punched above its weight globally in new technologies, and the digital economy is vital to the economic growth of the country in the future," said UK industry veteran and Blitz Games CEO Phillip Oliver.
"Video games will be the primary entertainment media of the twenty first century and growth in this sector and other digital sectors will only be powered by a constant flow of fresh, talented, highly skilled technical & creative staff."
Despite those concerns, the report paints a relatively positive outlook for the nation's development and publishing companies, with two thirds of respondents predicting a stable or increasing company turnover over the next twelve months.
The report estimates there being 100 UK workplaces related to the publishing of video and computer games, from 144,000 for tech industries as a whole.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-10-05-study-uk-games-industry-struggling-to-find-staff
All other industries rated the availability of graduates very low on the list of concerns in the report (https://www.e-skills.com/Documents/Research/Tech-Insights-2011/eskills_2011_TechInsights_UK.pdf), but for the games sector it was rated as the third biggest worry.
Two thirds of companies had problems recruiting staff this year, the report claims, with most predicting an increase in demand not only for the number of skilled staff required, but also their level of skill and experience.
"The UK has always punched above its weight globally in new technologies, and the digital economy is vital to the economic growth of the country in the future," said UK industry veteran and Blitz Games CEO Phillip Oliver.
"Video games will be the primary entertainment media of the twenty first century and growth in this sector and other digital sectors will only be powered by a constant flow of fresh, talented, highly skilled technical & creative staff."
Despite those concerns, the report paints a relatively positive outlook for the nation's development and publishing companies, with two thirds of respondents predicting a stable or increasing company turnover over the next twelve months.
The report estimates there being 100 UK workplaces related to the publishing of video and computer games, from 144,000 for tech industries as a whole.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-10-05-study-uk-games-industry-struggling-to-find-staff