Information Technology and Digital Media

If companies hope to survive the IT skills shortage that is going on right now, they should think about investing with technology partners to help train existing staff, according to Carol Terentiak, Microsoft partner program manager for Microsoft Canada.

"Our partners are turning down business because they don't have the skills and are just crying for them," said Terentiak. She added that because companies are short in IT skills, they are starting to steal from each other to get the skills they seek.

The IT skills shortage can be attributed to the fact that the demand for IT skilled positions in Canada is larger than the people available.

"We are not taking enough [students] into universities' and colleges' [computer science program] and not graduating enough people to fill junior positions that become senior positions," Terentiak said.

The lack of skills within an organization has been the number one inhibitor for Microsoft's partners to gain new business.

"We have to address that as we don't want anyone turning down business and we want our partners to grow," said the Microsoft executive.

To address the IT skills shortage, Terentiak said companies shouldn't just focus on recruiting new graduates, but invest in re-training existing employees to deliver the IT skills they lack or to keep their skills up-to-date. As well, she suggested that companies could perhaps recruit employees from a different department such as marketing and bring them over to IT if they are interested in a career change.

Microsoft says it is playing its part to help with the IT skills shortage through several investments in training program such as $30 million in new training programs for partners, customers and universities and colleges. Specifically, Terentiak said that Microsoft will be investing $2 billion in partner training to be delivered through Microsoft's Certified Partner Learning Solution (CPLS) partners. The investment includes a technical curriculum and sales and marketing training to help partners grow their business. CPLS partners are Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCP) in such competency areas as infrastructure, SQL server and data management. This shows to Microsoft that these partners can deliver the material that they are training and that they understand how to deliver the content.

One such CPLS partner is the Canadian Business College. According to its president, Mazher Jaffery, the reason why the college wanted to be a CPLS partner was because Microsoft has their services everywhere.

"[Microsoft] is the leader in the market place and technology is the backbone of everything today and it made sense for us to partner with a company that we see as a winner in the world of technology," he said.

Terentiak said that CPLS partners, like Canadian Business College, don't only teach Microsoft MCP content but also develop their own curriculum where they see an area that needs to be addressed.

"When we see a shortage in a particular area that needs training, sometimes we will subsidize it, for example the need for more database administrators," she added.

Canadian Business College Information Technology Diploma program graduates in big demand according to Information & Communications Technology Council Report that forecasts Increase of 89,000 IT jobs in Canada by 2010.

Why Consider an IT Career?

The Information Technology (IT) sector is growing at an unparalleled rate the world over. In fact, IT is growing so fast that many of the jobs created go unfilled because there aren't enough qualified people to fill them. This disparity between the number of available jobs and the people qualified to fill them is called the SKILLS GAP. According to the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), in the next 3 years there will be an increase of over 89,000 new IT jobs created in Canada alone! The problem is that there are not nearly enough people qualified to fill all of these positions. That's why Microsoft Canada has developed the Learning Solutions program - to help Canadians gain the knowledge they'll need to take advantage of this Skills Gap. Through the Learning Solutions program, Microsoft is helping Canadians with even the most basic technological knowledge prepare for new, rewarding careers in the IT field. Thousands of Canadians from every imaginable background have already been through the Learning Solutions program, and most would tell you it's changed their lives.

Canadian Business College Information Technology Learning Solutions programs can do the same thing for you. Having the desire and the courage to begin a new career is the first step. Let the Canadian Business College and Microsoft Canada partnership help you take the next one.

Does the idea of a brand-new IT career sounds exciting to you, but changing into a brand new field seems too risky? Not only does Microsoft understand this risk, Canadian Business College with Microsoft Canada's assistance will help you remove it. Microsoft partners use different assessment tools that will help you determine if an IT career is right for you. By using these tools, you'll know with a lot more certainty that once you graduate from the program, you'll love your new career in IT.

Canadian Business College students receive hours of hands-on instruction in a lab setting using the latest technologies. This instructional time helps you learn what you'll need to succeed in your new IT career. But the program goes further than that. Canadian Business College students are also helped to prepare for what it means to work in an IT environment: how to handle the fast rate of change, and how to work in a group setting. Students are also given help in finding their first IT jobs. Canadian Business College helps their students learn to market themselves by offering resume writing and interview skills workshops, and Microsoft will work with its partners and employment service agencies to find promising leads for all IT graduates. Canadian Business College is RATED Number 1 Computer Trainer for Toronto.

"Dear Canadian Business College Program Manager,

On behalf of Microsoft Canada, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Canadian Business College for recently winning the Consumers Choice Award again. As a training partner of ours, we certainly would like to share in the pride Canadian Business College feels after receiving this honour. As a valued Microsoft training partner, I too would like to extend my congratulations to you for receiving this award as well as being congratulated by the Premier of Ontario. Being recognized for providing exemplary level of Microsoft training to Canadians is something that all our training providers strive to achieve and we commend you for this recognition. Being recognized for your business excellence and quality training are attributes Microsoft Canada tries to foster in all our training providers. As a valued Microsoft training partner, your recognition by consumers' groups further shows the high esteem that students have placed in your institution. I wish you continued success.

Simon Witts

General Manager

Microsoft Canada