Latest Articles
“There’s an app for that” was once a key selling point of Apple’s iPhone range and had organisations scrambling to create them. But studies show that consumers limit their usage to a few core applications and many never get opened. So, what’s the true value of developing mobile apps? New Media Knowledge quizzed one expert for the lowdown. By Chris Lee.
more
92% of business plan to increase or maintain marketing budgets in 2012; Data integration cited as top email marketing challenge. By Kara Trivunovic.
more
A new report from Juniper Research has found that nearly $55 billion in international remittances will be enabled via mobile devices in 2016, up from less than $12 billion this year. By Windsor Holden.
more
Related Articles
In this article, Dr. Elayne Coakes analyses the project Tearing Down the Walls, which draws upon a Web 2.0 infrastructure to provide an environment in which students develop applications in accordance with their needs. The project idea came from Roger James, Information Systems Director at the University of Westminster. He wondered what would happen if students were allowed to develop new applications for other students and maybe staff within the existing ‘garden walls’ of the university’s applications. The project is called internally TWOLER where the ‘LER’ stands for Lightweight Enterprise RSS and the ‘TWO’ for Web 2.0.
more-
The education system is changing rapidly, with forward-thinking teachers making the most of new media to engage their pupils in learning. New Media Knowledge caught up with one head teacher to learn how he had used video to great effect in the classroom. more
-
A new website has been launched to help teachers understand digital media and make the most of it in the classroom. New Media Knowledge spoke to professionals at the coal face to see what difference they thought it would make. more
-
The ICT sector still struggles to attract women, according to research. Could new and social media provide the impetus needed to encourage more female entrants into the profession? New Media Knowledge canvassed some views. more
-
A combination of the Credit Crunch and a rise in Web-savvy shoppers has led to steady growth for the e-commerce sector. New Media Knowledge talked shop to one of Europe’s biggest comparison services. more
-
Mind the Skills Gap
New research from Chinwag confirms what many working in the new media sector already know. There is a severe shortage of suitable digital people despite increasing numbers of posts that demand them.
Key findings from the report include:
• It’s hard to attract staff: 97% of respondents find it either difficult or impossible to attract the right digital staff for their businesses
• It’s difficult to retain staff: 76% of respondents find it difficult to retain staff within their companies.
• Digital staff numbers are growing: Most businesses have increased the number of staff working in digital during the last year, with more permanent staff joining than leaving.
• Use of freelancers is growing: Businesses have found themselves using the services of freelance staff more this year on previous years.
• The digital skills shortage is stopping businesses grow: 57% of respondents reported that the digital skills shortage impeded the growth of their business in 2007.
• Salary is a major issue in attracting and retaining digital staff: Companies having most difficulty attracting staff are also the least likely to raise wage levels next year.
• Most companies giving pay rises in 2008: 75% of businesses are planning to increase the salaries of digital staff. 
Chinwag MD Sam Michel comments: “These results show the pain of recruiting in 2007 gets worse in 2008. It’s now actively affecting the growth prospects of a sector that is booming despite concerns about the wider economy. Employers must work harder to attract and retain quality staff, without resorting to the temptation of unsustainable wage levels.”
He continues: “The digital sector desperately needs to improve career development opportunities and widen its net, with industry-wide initiatives to support internships and training programmes, and to encourage people with traditional skills to make the jump to digital.”
The full report is available from the Chinwag site and will be discussed at the company’s forthcoming ‘Skills Emergency‘ event on January 29.
StumbleUpon
Comments
You must be logged in to comment.