Abstract:

There is a high demand for qualified ICT practitioners in the European labour market. According to recent reports ICT companies want to hire thousands of ICT specialists but are unable to find the talent, in part because the supply of ICT graduates from universities is insufficient to meet demand. A problem at many universities is that a high percentage, perhaps 40% of students in the case of Estonia, drop out of ICT studies. Therefore educational research is needed to help universities and IT companies design and develop activities that can increase the number of university graduates completing their studies in ICT related majors.

To begin to understand the problem of ICT dropout it is important to explore what has influenced first year students to study ICT. This information can help universities in the future to recruit students to ICT related curricula more efficiently, i.e. recruit only those students who are interested in studying ICT and have a high probability to finish their studies. Data was collected in autumn 2013 from 517 first year students who started their studies in ICT related curricula at the three main universities in Estonia where ICT is taught. During the first month of their studies students answered a questionnaire that contained multiple choice and open ended questions about the factors that have influenced their curriculum choice, prior experience in ICT and future plans related to studies and work. Inductive content analysis was used to code the candidates’ answers to open ended questions.

The results showed surprisingly that a good salary in the ICT field is not a very important reason why students are interested in studying ICT. However, owning personal computer at a young age had a very large influence on their curriculum choice. Other popular influences stated by the students were that someone recommended them to study ICT or was a role model for them and that computer lessons in school or participating in some other ICT related course influenced their choice. Reasons for choosing to work while simultaneously studying ICT at university were also investigated. Financial situation and work experience were the main reasons why students would choose to start working during studies. Also, 14% of the first year students already had prior work experience in ICT field. This study shows that the majority of first year students are certain that they will finish their studies. However, longitudinal data is necessary to show if and how a students’ motivation changes during studies, and how universities can prevent the problem of high dropout rate in ICT studies.

Keywords:

ICT, higher education, recruitment, retention.