Do the different IT-related activities require different capabilities? The relationship between IT tasks, educational skills and training provision

This paper enquires into the relationship between the activities that IT professionals engage in and the educational skills and training provision that is provided to the IT workforce. To this effect, the paper on the one hand examines the degree of complexity and firm-specificity associated with the different types of tasks performed by IT professionals, whereas on the other hand it examines the educational skills and the amount of training that IT professionals need in order to perform such tasks. We test our hypotheses in the context of IT professionals in the IT Services Sector and the Retail & Wholesale sector. The paper holds implications for the IS literature, as well as IS practice in general, as it will help to better understand the optimal allocation of IT skills and investments in IT training, according the types of activities that IT professionals engage in.