Private sector IT switch difficult, says expert

An expert has suggested that public sector IT workers looking to make the move to private sector companies face an uphill struggle to overcome negative perceptions about their previous role.

Speaking at the recent 360 IT conference in London, womenintechnology.co.uk managing director Maggie Berry explained that it has long been "quite difficult" to switch from public sector IT jobs to those in the private sector.

"I'm fully expecting that there will be swathes of cuts coming through," she told delegates. "It's not actually the retraining or re-skilling, it's sometimes just the perception of the skills that you're bringing."

Ms Berry added that impending reductions in government spending are likely to throw many people with IT proficiency out of work and claimed some firms are sceptical that such employees can adapt to a for-profit environment.

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A report published this week by cloud infrastructure business VMware warned that the public sector will have to make savings of £3.6 billion from its IT budget by 2013.

Posted by Ross George