2018年经济学人 Bartleby专栏:公司必须克服技能短缺(2)（在线收听）

Patrick Hourigan has spent nearly 12 years at IBM, initially as a systems telecoms engineer and then as a software developer.

帕特里克·胡里根在IBM工作了近12年，起初他是一名系统电信工程师，然后成为了一名软件开发者。

Three years ago he moved into the security division and opted for a course in machine learning and AI.

三年后，他被调到安全部门并选学了机器学习和AI课程。

It took him around 50-60 hours over six weeks. "Technology is continuously moving," he says.

六周时间里，他上了近50-60个小时的课程。“科技不断变化。”他说。

"Last year's tech becomes a stepping stone to this year's tech."

“去年的科技成为了今年科技发展的跳板。”

IBM is far from alone in emphasising the importance of training.

在强调培训重要性时，IBM绝非个例。

In 2013 AT&T, a telecoms giant, launched a training initiative called Workforce 2020.

2013年，电信巨头AT&T推出Workforce 2020培训新方案。

Part of the programme was an online platform with a tool allowing employees to analyse hiring trends within the company

该项目中包含一个在线平台，让员工分析公司内部的雇用趋势

and find out which skills are needed to qualify for the jobs.

并找出工作中必备的技能有哪些。

Together with Georgia Tech, a university, and Udacity, an online education group, AT&T offers a low-cost master's degree in computer science.

AT&T、佐治亚理工学院以及一家在线教育公司Udacity联手以低价提供计算机科学硕士学位。

As multinational tech companies, AT&T and IBM have all the capacity they need to offer substantial training programmes.

作为跨国科技公司，AT&T和IBM具备一切提供大量培训方案的能力。

Smaller firms may find the prospect daunting, but the existence of online courses means that it is not beyond their abilities.

小型的公司或许因该类项目的前景而退缩，但是在线课程的存在意味着这类培训是他们力所能及的。

And they need to try. American businesses will have to fill an estimated 1.4 m new computing and engineering jobs by 2020.

并且他们需要去尝试。截止至2020年，美国企业将不得不满足预计140万个新的计算机工程职位。

Many companies worry about a shortage of talent in some critical areas.

很多公司担心一些关键领域人才短缺。

A recent survey by Enterprise Strategy Group, a market-intelligence firm, found that

市场信息公司，企业策略集团的一份近期调查发现

51% of companies were short of cyber-security skills, up from 23% in 2014.

51%的公司都缺乏网络安全技术人才，这种短缺增长于2014年的23%。

The problem may be even worse in Europe.

在欧洲，这个问题可能更糟糕。

A European Commission report last year found that 15% of workers lacked even basic digital skills,

欧洲委员会去年的一份报告发现15%的员工甚至缺乏基本的数字技能，

while 88% of companies had taken no action to deal with the problem.

而88%的公司没有采取任何行动解决该问题。

A survey by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants found that

国际注册专业会计师协会的一项调查发现

a quarter of British workers had received no in-work training in the previous12 months.

四分之一的英国员工在过去12个月内都没有接受过在职培训。

Yet managers know that technological change will require their workers to acquire more skills.

而管理层知道科技的变化将需要他们的员工学习更多的技能。

The supply from higher education will be insufficient because of students' subject choices,

由于学生的学科选择，高等教育人才将出现供给不足的现象，

and immigration may not be able to solve the problem given the political mood.

考虑到政治情绪原因，移民可能也无法解决这个问题。

So firms will have to train workers themselves. The recent increase in spending is only a start.

因此公司必须自己培训员工。该项支出的近期增长只是一个开始。