Are IT Grads Ready for Work?

Many college IT graduates are not cutting it when it comes to having the tech and business skills needed to perform effectively at their first jobs, a new survey finds.

The survey of 376 employers, conducted by SHARE and sponsored by IBM, found that the majority of employers rely on universities and colleges to provide graduates with the tech and business know-how necessary to perform effectively on the job. Yet few companies are entirely satisfied with the readiness of IT graduates, the study found.

Nearly 40 percent of employers reported that their IT hires are not sufficiently prepared to perform jobs within their companies, while another 44 percent cited a notable gap in skills. Only 8 percent rated their IT hires as "well-trained, ready to go."

Still, those shortcomings do not prevent companies from hiring new IT grads. Half of the employers surveyed said they hire new IT employees straight out of college, even though most have little or no actual work experience. A majority of employers said they require a minimum of a bachelor's degree, preferably in computer science. Two out of three companies seek at least college intern experience among new IT hires, the survey found.

Overall, hiring plans are strongest for skilled programmers and developers, with 59 percent of employers saying they are currently or will soon be hiring employees with those skill sets. Meanwhile, 43 percent are hiring systems programmers and systems analysts; 50 percent are hiring database professionals; 36 percent are hiring analysts and architects; and 27 percent are seeking application management skills, the study found.

And like the federal government, about one-third of companies are seeking professionals and managers who can bridge the divide between IT departments and business leaders. Project management, analytics/business intelligence and enterprise architecture skills were in demand by more than half of the companies surveyed.

How would you rate recent IT grads on their performance in the federal space? Are they ready to go, or is additional training generally needed?