You might be busily searching for new Microsoft Dynamics jobs, but whilst you’re doing that, there’s a General Election happening. We thought we’d poke our heads above the political parapet to see how each of the main political parties – if elected – could influence your Dynamics job prospects and chances of getting jobs in broader IT and technology sectors. The parties are ordered alphabetically, to avoid political bias. The Conservative Party The European Commission (EC) is currently predicting a 900,000 shortfall in IT jobs by 2020, so the task of all the parties is to incentivise people into IT roles. The Conservatives have launched the new coding curriculum in schools, training teachers to teach these skills. They also strongly believe that apprenticeships are the way into tech roles, so they are encouraging organisations to offer more in-house training. Alongside Tech City, The Conservatives will also push for a new “tech visa” to broaden the international pool of Dynamics resource. The Green Party The Green Party believes strongly in the devolution of power, meaning more jobs controlled by local authorities. This promotes stronger regional economies, and facilitate more jobs in the digital sector outside of London. They will also, if elected, push for high speed internet across the UK during the next parliament. They will also improve training in IT and digital skills through apprenticeships and job creation, lessening what they call the “digital divide” – the divide between those who can use computer technology and those who can’t. Finally, the Greens understand that the digital economy that the country is heading towards is less stable, so they will legislate and strengthen protection for employees in the tech sector from redundancies in the digital sector. The Labor Party Firstly, Labour won’t offer an EU referendum, meaning that you have guaranteed free movement around Europe if you wish to take a job abroad. Labour claims it has the resources to build a whole new apprenticeships model, giving businesses across the country more power and control over the funding and design of apprenticeships, facilitating greater opportunities in IT. Microsoft is pushing for an ‘anytime, anywhere’ future for all its Dynamics products, and Labour has pledged to deliver fast broadband for the entire UK by 202. They will also develop “knowledge clusters, especially outside the South East”, enabling better Dynamics jobs prospects in other regional areas. The Liberal Democrats The Lib Dems will enable a £250m “digital revolution” in the NHS, creating a large number of jobs in the IT and tech sector within – and serving – the health sector. They have also invested heavily in high-tech sectors like IT and manufacturing, and claim they will continue this in the next parliament. The Liberal Democrats will also expand their apprenticeships programme, with the aim to create 1m more roles during the next parliament. They also aim to spend £3.2bn on growing businesses, meaning more end-users and a larger Dynamics market. Finally, the Lib Dems have just announced their ‘digital bill of rights’, aiming to make working in the digital sector safer. UKIP The UK Independence Party would take the UK out of the European Union, saving 8bn in net contributions, but preventing the free movement of peoples to and from the UK, creating a more isolated jobs market. They will also introduce the option for school students to take an Apprenticeship Qualification in IT and technology (or similar vocational subject area) instead of four non-core GCSEs, which could be continued at A-Level. Depending on academic performance, UKIP will also remove tuition fees for any student studying computer science, IT or a related subject at university, given that they live, work and pay tax in the UK for at least five years after they graduate. That’s just a brief run-down of the main parties’ policies as they relate to technology, the jobs market, apprenticeships and relating areas. Microsoft Dynamics is a growing sector in the UK, make sure you use your vote in the coming General Election to help your prospects of getting a great Microsoft Dynamics job. If you’d like to share your political views with other Dynamics professionals, join our dedicated Dynamics community on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. For the latest Dynamics roles, visit our site, or… Give us a call on +44(0)1483 233 000.