The IT skills gap continues to be a thorn in the side for many businesses. Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and many companies are not able to improve the skill level of their IT teams at the same rate. This is increasing the pressure to find individuals who can overcome current challenges, but they are becoming harder to find as well.
For some time, veterans have been considered one way to address this. Many individuals leaving the military have real-world experience with specific IT systems, but their military training does not automatically mean they are ready for a corporate gig.
According to the Navy Times, last week Vice President Joe Biden spoke during the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention. In his speech, he announced new training efforts being launched by the White House which will focus on getting veterans ready for high-tech opportunities in the private sector. It will work with all veterans to rapidly train them in high-demand programming languages and tech trades.
"Ask yourself the rhetorical question: Why do we need to issue 480,000 to 500,000 [immigrant] visas — which I welcome — to come to the United States to fill high-tech jobs that range from $70,000 a year to $168,000 a year in high-tech industries?" Biden said. "It's because we don't have enough qualified people here at home."
He added that this is not a favor to veterans, but rather to businesses. A study conducted by the White House found that the tech skills gap will be nearly 1.4 million jobs in the next five years.
Many companies are turning toward VARs and MSPs to fill this gap, though even they are struggling to find quality talent. VAR Staffing helps solution providers identify and recruit impactful individuals that can make a big difference to tech teams.
