What is it?

Information Technology (IT) or Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a wide and varied sector which is represented in almost every other sector in some form. Sometimes it is simply referred to as 'Computing'. Data and systems development and management is a key area in almost every business and IT is central to the fabric of commerce and public services.

Facts and figures

• Nearly 1 in 20 people working in the UK is employed in IT and telecoms
• Employment in the IT industry is predicted to grow at 5 times the average for the UK
• Over 141,000 new entrants per year are required to fill IT and telecoms professional job roles
• 42% of the UK's IT and telecoms industries are located in London and the South East compared with 30% of all businesses
• 55% of the UK's IT professionals hold a qualification at undergraduate level compared to 32% of the UK's overall working population
• the proportion of female IT and telecoms professionals has dropped to 18%

source: e-skills UK

Employers in Sussex

Employers include almost all companies as well as the public sector such as local authorities, the education sector and the NHS.

Higher education qualifications suitable for the sector

• foundation degrees / HNCs/HNDs such as Computing: Networked Systems, Internet Systems Development 
• undergraduate degrees such as BA Business Information Systems, BSc Business  Computer Systems, BSc Computing & Artificial Intelligence, BSc Computing & Systems Practice, BSc Human-Computer Interaction Design, BSc Internet Computing, BA IT Management for Business
• postgraduate degrees such as MSc Creative Systems, MSc Computer Science, MSc Computing for Commerce and Industry, MSc Information Technology for e-commerce, MSc Networks & Distributed Systems, MSc Software Engineering

Here we are focusing on higher education but there are many other qualifications and routes to study available including NVQs, Apprenticeships and BTEC awards. Talk to your local college or private training provider about what's available.

Where to study in Sussex

• University of Brighton
• University of Chichester
• University of Sussex
• University Centre Hastings (UCH)
• Open University
• Central Sussex College
• Chichester College
• Hastings College of Arts & Technology
• Northbrook College Sussex
• Sussex Downs College

Courses differ from place to place... institutions normally develop and teach their own courses so the content and focus of each course can be very different. It pays to shop around!

 

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