IDG's CIO Executive Council - a global peer advisory community of 750 global enterprises with more than 1,400 IT leaders - provides leadership development expertise through its Pathways program. By providing step-by-step actions and training from the expertise of the Council's global community, IT professionals will excel at a faster pace, becoming strategic CIOs versus functional heads of IT.

This strategic partnership addresses the issues raised by Reed's annual job index which suggested that the UK's need for IT professionals is 23% higher now than at the start of 2010. Furthermore, e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, states that the number of IT and telecom professionals will grow at four times the rate of other sectors, extending the need for educational opportunities.

The Pathways framework helps companies improve the internal conveyor belt that turns entry-level staff into the company's senior management and attracts professionals into the industry with the promise of a clear career path. It is another example of The Open University's drive to provide business-relevant learning solutions to the IT industry. By engaging with the highest levels of industry expertise, The Open University is able to understand the changing competency demands on IT professionals throughout their career and provide resources to continue the educational process.

Kevin Streater, Executive Director for IT and Telecom at The Open University, comments, "We have mapped our curriculum to the career paths of future CIOs, which will enable them to have the right training at the right stage in their careers. They may start with IT-specific courses and supplement them with management training as they progress in their careers. By the time they reach Board level, they will have the necessary skill set to create strategic business value."