Parity wins IBM Reseller of the Year Competition 2006 for its IT skills training

Parity has been awarded IBM Reseller of the year 2006 for its performance in training IBM professional skills in the work place.

Parity the IT Business Services organisation has been recognised for its contribution to work place skills through the IBM Reseller of the Year Award 2006. "The demand for some specialist IT skills has never been greater and we are delighted by this award", says Rick Firth, Parity Training's Managing Director. "With employers having to pay significantly more to attract the best people, training is still an attractive and viable option for organisations to acquire those skills in high demand".

IBM skills as a proportion of the total demand for staff has been rising steadily since 2006, now representing 2.2% of all IT Skills job ads. With current average rates at £41 per hour and on the increase, IBM skills are definitely worth an organisations investment if they are to retain and acquire certified people.

Parity's succeeded in winning the award for 176.9% revenue growth and 161.1% student day growth between the first and second half of 2006 on their IBM training portfolio which includes Information Management (DB2), Websphere, Lotus, Tivoli and a range of IBM Systems (i, p, x & z).

Whilst Parity offers a number of IBM certifications Rick Firth was keen to point out that learning a skill is not just about taking qualifications. Although these are important on the CV, the practical application of skills in the workplace was important too. Underestimated are the competencies organisations need to have in delivering team performance in IT projects and system role outs.

Rick goes on to say that "an organisations' human capital, has emerged as a key competitive factor through knowledge, skills and competencies, the trouble is that many forget that certain competencies are a must have with the right skills sets in order to achieve excellence."

Editorial notes:
Parity, uniquely for its size, offers a full range of IT services to major companies including:

• Business process consultancy
• Change management training
• Management training
• Technology training
• Programming training
• Development and management of complex IT systems
• Oracle and Microsoft technology and application skills
• Permanent and temporary IT staff

Customers across the group include Alcatel, Allianz, British American Tobacco, CISCO, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Work & Pensions, GlaxoSmithKline, HBOS, Hewlett Packard, HSBC, IBM, Ministry of Defence, Department for Health, O2, Perot Systems, Royal Bank of Scotland, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, The Cabinet Office, T-Systems, Invest NI, Northern Ireland Electricity, The Charity Commission and Scottish Power.

Contact details:

For more information on Parity, visit www.parity.net or contact Gina Cannon (g.cannon@parity.net)