Industry Feels Pinch As Numbers Of IT Grads Plummet

"When every headline screams layoffs, kids are not going to think about computer science and parents are not going to let them think about computer science," says Craig Boutilier, chairman of the University of Toronto's computer science department. Undergraduate enrolment at the school is down about 50 per cent from its peak in 2002, the year following the tech bust. Back then, classrooms were crammed, thanks to a provincial funding program that supported expansion. When numbers first began to fall, the smaller classes were welcome, he says, but when it continued, the red flags went up. "At first it was very hard to get people at the table," Prof. Boutilier says. "People didn't notice what was happening until after the fact.'' So how bad is it? A new study that has not yet been released shows a sharp decline in undergraduate enrolment in computer science and computer engineering faculties in almost all areas of the country from a peak in 2002. Depending on the region, the study finds a 36-per-cent to 64-per-cent drop in student numbers. British Columbia is the one province to buck this trend. ... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080121.wcomputer21/BNStory/Technology/

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