Communication skills more important than technical know-how for IT jobs, say IT graduates

Most IT graduates think technical skills are the least important for IT jobs, according to a survey.

A poll of 81 students studying for Information Technology Management for Business (ITMB) degrees by CA Technologies shows 51% believe IT technical skills to be the least important for a career in IT compared to 45% who think communication and team skills were the most helpful.

The survey also shows 85% of students feel prepared for a job in IT but only 50% of employers believe IT graduates have the right skills for its job vacancies.

Colin Bannister, CTO at CA Technologies, said, "Now more than ever, both universities and employees should be doing more to ensure that young talent has both the technical and business skills necessary to secure and forge a successful job in IT."

Last year's figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that computer science graduates are the largest group of unemployed graduates in the UK.

The demand for IT staff in recent months has fuelled concerns of a shortage of graduates with technical ability.

A recent study by The Open University (OU) finds 43% of employers reported a lack of suitable candidates for IT and telecoms roles due to a lack of business knowledge surrounding relationship management, business process analysis and design, project and programme management.