A recent article at ITBusiness.ca illustrates an interesting problem facing the information technology sector in the Canadian metropolis of Toronto. But it is the sort of problem that is also a noteworthy opportunity for job-seekers. And this is not only true of graduates from Toronto-area computer science programs, but also of recipients of online IT training courses in the USA.
According to a study conducted by LinkedIn and CivicAction, there is a significant skills gap between what employers need from their entry-level hires and what the applicants to those positions have to offer. The article and the full-length report offer helpful breakdowns of the skills that appear most often on job-seekers’ profiles, alongside the skills that IT industry employers are most often looking for.
Apparently, only three percent of LinkedIn users in the greater Toronto area have listed skillsets that adequately match those needs. This data should give you a decent sense of how you might stand to compete in the Toronto IT industry job market. If you’re an entry level job seeker and maybe you’ve already obtained PMP training in CA, or the online Java training that would help you to fulfill items eight and nine on Toronto employers’ most-wanted list.
If that’s the case, then Toronto may be just the place to look for a foothold in the information technology industry. It’s an enormous city with an abundance of opportunity, and yet some of its most promising entry-level IT jobs may be struggling to find qualified applicants in the near future.
The big question, though, is whether we can expect this situation to persist over the long term. In other words, would it be worth it for you to pursue online IT training courses in the USA with the intention of relocating to take an entry-level position in Toronto? Can you hope to fill a foreign market’s need before that market pushes local job seekers toward a more comprehensive skillset?
Given the easy availability and overall efficiency of online IT training courses in the USA, it seems likely. In any event, there’s no doubt that such a program can provide you with exactly the sorts of training that so many people are lacking, even in highly competitive environments like Toronto.
Of course, you can’t be certain of what the conditions in any such market will be once you throw yourself into it. But there’s a lesson to be learned from the LinkedIn/CivicAction report even if it doesn’t lead to a specific job-related relocation. And that lesson is that if such a skills gap can emerge in a place like that, it can emerge just about anywhere. So you can rest assured that when you complete online IT training courses, you’ll be acquiring skills that are simultaneously in great demand and in short supply somewhere. And with a little luck, when you’re looking for a job that place will be one that you’ll be both willing and able to relocate to.