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Steep learning curve threatens ecommerce evolution

As online shopping continues its stranglehold on 'brick and mortar' stores, a panel of experts is warning firms to focus on Magento training now, as the skills gap between generations continues to broaden.

The panel of Magento experts, at a recent round table debate in Manchester, warned firms that the need for developers within the web development industry is growing as rapidly as the internet, and if the skills gap is not filled, it may soon be a great risk to future ecommerce growth.

Lawrence Jones, CEO of hosting and colocation firm UKFast believes training in-house is vital for building an army of highly-skilled developers.

He said: "Whilst everyone is aware of the skills gap and much is being done to tackle it with training future generations, there is still a generation gap between the youngsters in school learning these tricks of the trade and the coders of a working age joining businesses.

"This Christmas shoppers are set to spend a record £13bn over the festive period [according to Sage Pay] what clearer signal do we need to step up and start training ecommerce developers and honing Magento or Drupal skills for example."

Richard Jones director of Fantastic Media agreed and warned that this level of training takes time.

 He said: "Development is an issue at the moment. Any web developer should be able to learn Magento. The learning curve is ridiculously steep, and it takes time. An agency must commit to it as well. They need more than one Magento developer on the go.

"We made the decision to redevelop from where we were. We saw the resource issue and we thought if we own what we do, and do it the way we like, we can train people up. It has enabled us to build things for people, and gives us many options – allowing us to train any programmer or developer up."

Ravi Bhalla, technical director at I-COM believes that at its peak, ecommerce's success could falter- unless the skills gap is closed.

Bhalla said: "Our business is having significant growth, the adoption rate is large and the developers are moving around a great deal and this is an issue at the moment. The developing community really needs to get bigger; otherwise many companies may find themselves in jeopardy."

Ken Sugden director of Holland Hydroponics believes that, in the current skills situation, it's vital to properly consider the quality of developers' skillsets before rushing in to work with them. 

He said: "The issue of developers is that Bronze, Silver and Gold Magento certifications can be relatively easy to get. You're putting your trust of the development of a really good site into someone's hands. Be really careful to vet the developers. Sometimes they are not as skilled as they should be."

The Magento experts attended a round table event held by hosting and colocation firm UKFast at its Manchester offices.

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