The huge growth of the software industry over the last two decades has resulted in an ever-growing demand for IT skills. Although there are 5,5 million developers in Europe, EU-28 countries are estimated to have a shortage of 500.000 software engineers by 2020. At the same time, there is almost 20% youth unemployment in the EU. The problem is that sometimes students entering the industry are forced to leave behind the working methods acquired in formal education.
At a time when Europe is facing huge unemployment, technology companies are facing a large shortage of talented ICT experts.
Representatives of Cypriot IT companies and Universities, which already have Computer Engineering and Software programs, had an in-depth discussion on how the SoftAware project is the answer to this gap and to the representatives of the software industry, presenting the Bachelor Degree Program in Software Technology, SoftAware Online Courses and SoftAware Soft Skills Toolkit for University Lecturers in Computer Science.
The discussion took place at the National Multiplier Event of the SoftAware Project, entitled "Creating Talents in Software Engineering" organized by PCX Computers & Information Systems Ltd, and took place on December 15, 2021 in Larnaca, Cyprus. . This event was the last of a series of national reproduction events organized in each partner country with the main aim of sharing the results developed during the project and disseminating them among stakeholders.
Mr. George Sarris, Director of HostingB2B, analyzed the needs of small and medium enterprises in the field of Software Development. Mr. George Sarris welcomed the SoftAware Project as part of the much-needed international effort to achieve the project's main goal: to make sure that Software Development students can cope with the real working conditions within a company after completing their studies.
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Strengthening the cooperation between Industry and Education
Collaboration between industry and education is very important for the development of software engineering talents. The needs of the market should go hand in hand with the supply of labor directly from the universities. Over the past two years, SoftAware project partners have been able to establish robust ICT and reference stakeholder networks for development in 4 of the partner countries - Lithuania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Cyprus.
Through SoftAware e-Courses, students will learn to solve problems that require complex algorithms, to design and test a software product, and to learn about software project management and the soft skills required of a team.
Soft Skills for University Lecturers
A Google study found that a company's best ideas come from teams that display the best soft skills, such as equality, generosity, curiosity about other members' ideas, empathy and emotional intelligence.
Soft skills can be invaluable to the success of a software team and although they can sometimes be more difficult to develop than hard skills, they are just as important to a successful project.
With the SoftAware Soft Skills Toolkit, college professors can make their students aware of the importance of non-cognitive skills. The toolkit is an online course, created in accordance with the requirements set out in the EQF and includes skills for the future job market, ways in which teachers can raise awareness among their students and examples of how to start soft skills with the support of teachers and other higher education staff.
Our fully functional SoftAware platform (www.softaware-project.eu) can now support students and faculty to embark on their journey to developing and creating new talent in Software Engineering!