Business intelligence (BI) specialist Cognos has launched a new academy to train 8,000 BI consultants globally over the next three years, and so tackle the shortage of IT professionals with BI skills.

The course, announced last week, will provide a mix of self-study and classroom teaching to help IT professionals develop skills to implement and manage reporting systems and gain a professional certificate around the Cognos 8 BI suite. It will be available by invitation to Cognos customers who are currently setting up dedicated BI competency centres to support their BI systems.

Graham Walter, vice-president for the UK, Middle East, and South Africa at Cognos, said in a statement that the Academy might help firms avoid a major skills shortage when the current generation of BI experts retires. “We’ve found that the consultants who have the wisdom, experience and BI skills needed in the current marketplace are concentrated within the older age groups," he warned. " There is a severe shortage of skilled BI consultants amongst the 25- to 35-year-old band.”

Stuart Britton, managing director of recruitment firm SEC Recruitment, said there were already signs of a BI skills shortage. “The demand for BI skills from leading technology consultancies is growing. However, we find there is not the supply of qualified workers,” he said. “I would estimate that, on average, there is one person for every three vacancies. If nothing is done about this, the lack of BI skills could easily become the most challenging aspect of IT recruitment.”