The ICT skills gap in Spain: industry expectations versus university preparation

Abstract

This article distinguishes which generic skills are the key to enable newly graduated engineers, basically computer and telecommunication engineers, to enter the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, satisfying industry demand in Spain. It also demonstrates significant differences between the engineering degrees (at graduate level) and the engineering master degrees (at post-graduate level) related to skills needs. Furthermore, this work establishes the fact that there is a gap between the expectations of the ICT sector and the computer-based engineering curricula and telecommunication engineering curricula the graduated receives, and where this gap appears in relation to generic competences or skills.