The job market for I.T. skills is quite high in demand at the moment with factors like the growing use of I.T. and the Year 2000 problem. In Cambridge, there is a growing high technology community which will increase demand for I.T. skills. The EACR has also gone down the route of using the Oracle database system. Oracle is a skill very much in demand at the moment. All the above may need to be considered when recruiting I.T. personnel and developing an I.T. strategy.
Training is an option to make up any skills.
Currently Oracle courses cost about 1500 per week and 2 to 3 courses may be required eg. It would normally be expected to take at least a year to become competent in an object-orientated visual programming language like Oracle to a commercial standard, if you can make it at all. You would then currently be able to command a salary of 30-40,000 upwards. Bearing in mind, the dependence on I.T. it is worth mentioning that the I.T. staff need to be very trustworthy. In the financial world, I.T. staff can be evicted from the building immediately on dismissal.