THE head of Scotland’s new tech training school has backed a Minecraft developer’s calls to “get serious” about the country’s digital sector.
Chris Van Der Kuyl told the Scottish Affairs Committee “Scotland will languish” in the face of international competition if more is not done to support the burgeoning video game industry.
The businessman, whose 4J studios in Dundee and East Linton developed the console versions of the popular game, called for games to get the same focus as the film industry.
Yesterday Harvey Wheaton, chief executive of coding school CodeClan, backed the call, saying: “Having spent a significant amount of my career working in the gaming industry, Chris van der Kuyl is right to say that it’s time to get serious.
“But his comments don’t just apply to this one industry, they apply to the digital technologies industry as a whole in Scotland, from data analysts to software developers and digital agencies.
“At the moment, Scotland’s tech sector is showing significant growth but this will only continue if we take action now and tackle the skills crisis head on.
“What we need is a sustained focus on skills from everyone involved in the industry who recognise the need to invest in their own future, before it’s too late.”
CodeClan, which provides intensive training in web and mobile software development, opened its first centre in Edinburgh earlier this month and plans to create a satellite service in Glasgow within months, eventually opening a third hub in either Inverness or Aberdeen.
Students in the core class complete 60 hours of work per week over a ten-week course, with the first cohort expected to graduate in February.
Estimates suggest employment in the digital sector could grow by 11,000 a year and “skills-starved employers” currently offer starting salaries for entry-level developers of £23-25,000.
However, Wheaton warns his organisation alone cannot fill the country’s digital skills gap.
He told The National: “I’d love to say we can fix the problem. Even if we managed to produce 1,200 or so at the end of three years from various different types of course, the need is for several thousand.
“We can do our best to address it in the short term, but it takes time. It could take ten or 15 years.”
He added: “Scotland has been a victim of its own success. For big businesses, the chance to open in Scotland and Glasgow compared to other European cities was very largely based on the talent pool, with great connections and a population that wants to stay here.
“Those companies soaked up the talent and supply hasn’t kept up.
“There is a problem across all areas of business. Everyone is competing for the same talent.”
Speaking at the launch of CodeClan, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Scotland needs an estimated 11,000 new digital/ICT workers each year to meet current and future demand in the sector and we need to take urgent action to close this gap.
“We know this challenge will not disappear overnight, but CodeClan is a strong step in the right direction.”
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