There is a chronic shortage of top-class enterprise architects (EAs) around the world because of the length of time it takes to develop them, Mike Lambert of Reading University in the UK warned delegates at a recent IT architecture practitioners` conference in Cape Town.
Lambert, who is also a fellow of the neutral Open Group consortium for integrated enterprise information, said it normally takes several generations to develop new EAs.
"The only way to meet growing international demand is for tertiary institutions to form partnerships with commercial organisations to help fast-track the process," he said.
Reading University is working with enterprise architecture companies in the UK to help develop new training materials that are compliant with The Open Group Architectural Framework.
Lambert called on South African tertiary institutions to form similar partnerships, as well as broaden the base of courses that include enterprise architecture.
"Tight partnerships between institutions and industry need to emulate established professions such as the medical and legal fraternities, which includes standards setting, internships to build experience, and structured career development."
According to Lambert, the increased demand for EAs is due to the growing recognition of how important it is to apply enterprise architecture as a core competency for greater business agility and long-term competitiveness.
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