The above-mentioned reports reflect a huge employability gap in one of the sectors with the greatest potential due to the digital transformation. The labour market is demanding highly specialised ICT professional profiles and VET provides a high-quality response that contributes to the incorporation of the digital profiles sought by companies. VET generates digital competences and adaptive skills, two real needs for ICT companies.
Vocational education and training and digital profiles to meet the demand of ICT companies
The success of VET, especially Dual VET, lies in the time the student devotes to specialising in a given subject, usually two years. Moreover, the learning is 100% practical and geared towards the real scenarios that future professionals will encounter on a daily basis in companies, as vocational education and training has adapted perfectly to the new demands, not only in terms of knowledge, but also with regard to labour market skills, offering profiles in keeping with the real needs of corporations and entities.
For over four years, VET has established its position as training that guarantees the highest degree of employability. Currently, as indicated by the data provided by the Public State Employment Service (SEPE), the employability rate of students in this discipline is 55.10%, a trend that’s set to continue to rise in the coming years, thus demonstrating the need to incorporate specialised technicians and assistants into this discipline.
VET and ICT companies: the ideal combination for employment
As highlighted by Infoempleo and Adecco, vocational education and training is geared towards employment. For the first time in nine years, job offers requiring vocational education and training graduates (42%) exceed those asking for a university degree (38.5%). VET has established itself as the shortest journey to the labour market with guarantees, as it provides a more practical orientation and it’s more in line with the real needs of the market.
Meanwhile, the searches for professionals by technology companies have filled the main job websites. As many as 10,600 job offers related to telecommunications can be published every month. In 2018 alone, the sector’s labour supply increased by more than 2.9%, according to the report titled “2018 ICT Employment Indicators” drawn up by TICjob. The report also underlines that 70% of the offers included a permanent contract in the same year.
Other more recent studies, such as the one conducted by VASS in partnership with the Economic Forecasting Centre (CEPREDE), highlight the upturn in the demand for specialised talent within the technology sector (7.1% between March 2021 and March 2022) and underpin this positive trend.
Companies are operating within increasingly complex and specialised technological ecosystems to cope with factors such as international market competition, digital sales and protection from cyberattacks. They therefore need to have qualified professionals in ICT areas.
ICT profiles trained in VET with greater employability
Companies in the ICT sector are looking for experts with distinctive skills and knowledge. Although some of the most in-demand positions require lengthy experience, there are some positiones that have recently emerged due to the different technological advances in recent years. Software development, cybersecurity and Big Data are just some of the fields in which vocational education and training and digital profiles are the formula for employability.
Software and app developer
Developers are specialised in the pre-development and development of applications and software. As of today, there are around 40,000 positions in this field to be filled, according to the data provided by DigitalES. The reason for the above is the increased use of mobile devices, which has made apps indispensable tools in the digital field. As a result, qualified professionals in this area are in great demand.
Cybersecurity specialist
An estimated 25,000 people trained in cybersecurity are required in Spain. In 2021, 94% of Spanish organisations suffered some kind of serious IT security incident as a result of increased digital activity. It’s therefore one of the essential positions for companies that are undergoing growth or a digital transformation.
Cloud computing specialist
The labour market needs more than 80,000 cloud technology professionals. Cloud specialists and architects are heading the digital and cultural transformations of companies, which entail the adoption of this technology as a core tool. They also develop cloud adaptation strategies to monitor processes and evaluate solutions to optimise the infrastructure. Companies encounter greater flexibility and operational agility in cloud profiles stemming from vocational education and training.
Big Data technician
Another of the VET profiles most sought-after by current-day companies is that of the Big Data technician. More than 5,000 professionals are expected to be needed in this field in the future. Their main function is the identification, processing, analysis and exploitation of large amounts of data through technology.
Network systems expert
The cross-cutting nature of IT in the labour market has led to its application throughout all the sectors and corporations. The use of computers and mobile and electronic devices has created the need for the continuous maintenance of networks and the management of IT systems. The network systems expert appears within this context.
