CAREERS

NCC? You Can Say That Again The 1987 Salary Survey from the National Computing Centre (NCC) pinpointed a requirement for over 5,000 new networking staff over the next five years, and confirmed that communications was emerging as one of the fastest‐growing job categories at around 13 per cent per annum. To meet this growing requirement the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), the Telecommunications Users' Association (TUA) and NCC are to investigate the demand for a National Certificate in Communications. They believe that the introduction of such a Certificate would increase the supply of qualified communications specialists able to apply technical and management skills in a business environment. This joint initiative comes in response to concern over the current shortage of high‐quality staff competent to plan and operate communications facilities in user organisations. Communications in this context embraces telephone systems, data networks and the whole range of text and image equipment on which organisations rely for their day‐to‐day business. The three organisations called all interested parties in government, industry and education to a meeting in London on 16 June to discuss the issue, with a view to introducing a course in October 1989 at approved colleges and educational establishments throughout the UK.