Deficit with an upward trend
The fact that the need for IT specialists is growing, and at a high rate, has been continuously talked about over the past 10 years. Moreover, the estimates are increasing all the time.
According to Headhunter, in 2018-2019 the demand for data science specialists grew by 234%, including 89% for big data specialists, 55% for machine learning (Machine Learning), by 16% – on the blockchain (Blockchain).
The latest data: annually the need for IT specialists is increasing by 95 thousand people, and in the next 4 years their number in Russia is expected to double – up to 1 million people. In the meantime, companies are short of 300 thousand employees in the field of ICT. Experts believe that this is a long-term trend, since digitalization is rapidly penetrating into all spheres of life and specialists are needed not only by large companies, but also by medium-sized businesses.
Machine learning or artificial intelligence at the end of 2020 was used in their work by 68% of Russian companies in large and upper segment of medium-sized businesses. Another 24% of enterprises planned to launch such projects in the next 2-3 years. These are data from a joint study of the analytical agency TAdviser, Huawei and the Technoserv technology company.
Plus, the pandemic, having transferred many professions to remote work, has sharply increased demand – software developers, data analysts and internet marketers have become much more in demand as a result of the fact that businesses have gone online en masse.
The ministry estimates the current shortage of IT specialists with a fork of 500 thousand to 1 million people and fears that in the near future the situation may only get worse. In 6 years, the staff deficit has a chance to double. Then in 2027 there will be a shortage of 2 million IT specialists.
Where are they taught and what?
“Every year, Russian universities and technical schools graduate more than 80 thousand IT specialists, but this is clearly not enough to meet the demand. The staff shortage in the digital economy is constantly growing, ”says Aleksey Komissarov, Director General of the Russia – Country of Opportunities ANO.
He believes that the trend for the coming years is clear: “young programmers and developers will be snapped up in the public sector and in large companies.”
This year, 73 thousand budget-funded places were allocated in universities for the admission of applicants to IT specialties. And in 2024 their number should grow to 120 thousand. Programs for accelerated training of personnel with state co-financing are being launched. The project “Digital Professions” was launched, thanks to which it is possible to receive ICT education as an additional one for half the market value of the course.
Representatives of recruiting companies note that traditional training (C ++ and Delphi) no longer meets the needs of the market: now specialists with a stack of technologies are more in demand: Go, Java / Spring, Scala, Python / Big Data, Swift. Attracting large IT companies to cooperation with universities will help solve the problem by restructuring educational programs.
And this collaboration has already begun. Programs jointly with universities and their own educational projects are launched by companies that understand that they can get good specialists if they raise them themselves. Among them are not only domestic IT giants (Yandex, Mail.Ru Group), but also foreign (Huawei), banks (Sberbank, VTB, Tinkoff, Alfa-Bank), mining and manufacturing companies.
Everyone can try
On the other hand, many students who have chosen the information technology profile and entered universities for the relevant specialties understand that in order to become professionals in their field, it is not enough for them to simply close their sessions perfectly. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are changing rapidly and must be kept up.
They try to participate in training programs of large companies, hokathons and other projects that raise their professional level.
One of such notable corporate programs was the Huawei Cup competition, which has been held since 2015. They combine motivation for new knowledge, a competitive spirit and the acquisition of practical skills and abilities.
In 2021, the competitions are held in 6 nominations: AI (Models and Methods of Artificial Intelligence), Storage (Building Storage Networks), IP (Technologies and Protocols of IP Networks), 5G (Technologies and Standards for Mobile Communications of a New Generation), APP (Design mobile applications) and ICT Observer (ICT Observer: suitable for aspiring journalists).
Even beginners in the IT field can try their hand at the competition. To do this, you do not need to study textbooks and search for information on the Internet. A free online school will help you prepare. It provides video tutorials for the children on popular areas of ICT, as well as webinars conducted by experts from one of the world leaders in the industry – Huawei.
“This is the flagship educational project of our company in Russia and other countries of Eurasia. For the seventh year in a row, it brings together thousands of talented young people who know how to work with modern ICT solutions, '' Wu Sai, vice president of Huawei in the Eurasia region, told aif.ru. – Competitors are ambitious young people who lack basic education in educational institutions, whose inquisitive mind is looking for new points of growth and self-development, who strive for new knowledge and innovative solutions. We are delighted to be giving them the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and technologies, broaden their career prospects and become part of the global community of ICT experts. ”
The organizers of the competition also provided material incentives – in addition to the invaluable experience and knowledge that the participants receive a priori. The prizes will also help further development in the information technology industry.
“I am confident that the competition will be the first step towards professional achievement and research in ICT for participants and winners. And soon they will bring a lot of innovations to the dynamically developing IT-sphere of Russia, ”added the vice president of the company.
