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Thread: Getting Junior staff for ICT comany a real bitch

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    Getting Junior staff for ICT comany a real bitch

    I have tried all papers and forums but alsa, it seems like anybody with a working knowledge of IT thinks they should get at least R6000pm. Is this the norm for DBN? Will appreciate your comments ! p.s There is no reason on earth that I would like to take advantage of these kids, but, hey we all need to prove our worth before the Big bucks are offered !
    Kindly help me if you can !
    Brits

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    One of the issues are the generational, the Y generation as they are known demand high salaries otherwise they will not even get out of bed! The skills crisis in SA is also felt in every sector every single day, friend of mine has been looking for IT personnel for 8 months and nothing!
    Good luck, the only way is to start contacting the techs, colleges and universities and tie them up before anybody else gets to them!!!
    Cheers

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    sad.sad.sad.... the opportunity to school in this environment should cost you bucks ! not a salary ! Nevertheless, once a encumbent has done a 12 to 24 month stint it is almaost cetain they get offers that we cannot ever meet (and good for them) Problem is they miss the opportunity to get the connection between academices and practical ecxperience !

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    Moderator IanF's Avatar
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    Two of my daughter's friends graduated from UJ last year in IT. I still can not believe what their starting salaries are. She will graduate this year with an electrical engineering degree with an IT endorsement, so she is on the right track.
    Only stress when you can change the outcome!

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    I have to agree with Christob. Your only real chance at that salary is to be the first employer and the route is via the training institutions.

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    Yo, this makes a lot of sense. I will have to try this out !
    Tx
    Brits

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    Are you refering to KZN offer for them or JHB?
    Brits

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    There are Durban based training institutions. For example, my son went through CTI and got his first job through them too.

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    Email problem Alta Murray's Avatar
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    Oh, haven't we been there through the years. However, as I have said before, and I will always hold this to be true -- I taught IT on university level, so I do consider myself an expert when it comes to evaluate the following scenario:

    What these students are being taught at uni. level, does not prepare them for the industry, it feels like you have to un-teach what they have been taught in order to get these young ones to contribute to a software house. And that is what they are supposed to do -- contribute. It takes more or less 1 year to get them to a point where they do contribute, so you are investing a year of on-job-training which takes time, and time invested in a young blood, means someone is not being productive in your business, as someone is doing the training. And the training is being done piece-meal, so that is why it takes so long.

    In Pretoria and Jhb I have received several calls from the agencies stating that their clients are not interested in young bloods with a degree, they can not even present them for an interview with their clients, as for some time now, the clients demand to see a system that is up and running and a contact no of the person using your system, and that will get you an interview. Who can blame them?

    I have found that by teaching I could hand-select my candidates, and then offer them an internship whilst they are studying with NO pay. I had to do my internship and I didn't get a red cent, so what makes them any different. Your hours that you then put in with these people can be arranged to suit both parties, so I am cool with that. Thus our business have grown with staff that are trained afore they begin.

    R 6000.00 is the starting rate, but you find them sitting there doing friggin screen design, and that is not worth it. I have even trained a young high school kid, this is not rocket science, and his system is running at Pretoria Zoo. He completed the whole system from scratch, taking down specs, database design, algorithms, system design, screen design, coding, reports, testing, implementation and training on his system. And he was by far not my smartest student.

    I also had contact with the head of IT at school and tersiary level to find out how they determine the courses, and they are doing very little wrong, it is up to us to make ourselves heard, and not were not doing that!!

    Good luck and I do hope you get sorted soon. I also believe that if all of us open our doors to students during the uni. hols. we will get a much better end result. Even if you just allow them to observe, that's will already make a difference.

    My son is a second year Law student, and compared to IT and Engineering, he has had so many offers for holiday jobs, that I do think it remains up to us to follow suit -- not that I like lawyers much whisper.......

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    Platinum Member Chatmaster's Avatar
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    Brits, just a suggestion from my side. Have you ever considered approaching the university for final year students? I am currently working with students from one of the universities here in Gauteng on a year project and we have weekly update meetings and they are not doing that badly. They are not getting paid either as the project is part of final year studies. Maybe you should inquire at the university perhaps you get lucky . It has it's drawbacks but it also has it's benefits.
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

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