As computing students across the UK return to school, Akamai, the Cloud Delivery Platform, has good news for those considering a future in cloud technology.

Using industry data from UK jobs site IT Jobs Watch, it has found that the number of cloud engineering roles has increased by 18% over the past year, while roles for senior cloud engineers have risen by 34%. The statistics, taken on 31st August, also reveal the changing demand in skills required by businesses to cope with increasing cloud adoption.

In particular, the skills needed for successful cloud migration, and more nuanced skills across a range of areas, including cloud management, cyber security and application development, have all seen a rise in demand.

>See also: Hybrid IT organisations struggle with IT skills gap and security concerns

With concerns that the UK is facing a growing IT skills gap, Akamai has highlighted the skills which young people will need to develop to begin building their career within the cloud industry.

Cloud migration

As organisations increasingly migrate their business to the cloud, demand for expertise in the varying cloud platforms, such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, have grown.

• Vacancies requiring proficiency in Microsoft Azure increased 62%, while roles requiring AWS rose by 37%.
• Proficiency in Google Cloud Platform, the youngest of the major cloud competitors, has seen a meteoric growth in demand of 116%.
• Both Microsoft Azure and AWS have introduced courses to help cloud engineers gain the specific skills needed for their platforms.

>See also: The skills gap and the future of hardware technicians

Cyber security

As businesses migrate more of their data to the cloud, it is crucial it’s stored securely to protect it from the growing threats of cyber attacks. With the General Data Protection Regulation coming into effect next year, it’s also important to hire expertise which helps businesses comply with these laws:

• Notably, roles requiring Certified Cloud Security Professional status rose in demand by 70% in the past year, and a staggering 2,566% since 2015.
• Other cybersecurity skills and qualifications are also on the rise, with companies increasingly looking for people with Security Monitoring skills, which rose by 12% over the last twelve months.
• Demand for individuals that possess a GIAC Security Essentials Certification also rose by 149%.

App management

Businesses need to make the most of their cloud, which can involve creating or using applications. Some of the skills involved in managing cloud apps, including micro-services and Kubernetes, have grown:

• Microservice skills, which help break down monolithic applications and processes into manageable clusters, rose in demand by 114% since the same time last year.

• Meanwhile, demand for proficiency in Google Kubernetes, a platform which helps ensure that services are always scaled to demand, increased by 248%.

>See also: The journey from mainframe to cloud in a changing IT landscape

Ian Florey, solutions engineering manager at Akamai UK, commenting on this report, noted that the the “figures are encouraging for young students considering a career in the cloud industry. The demand for increasingly complex and specific cloud skills is a sign that the UK is moving beyond simply adopting the cloud, to embracing the benefits it can provide. With cloud technology becoming the backbone of business infrastructure across the world, demand for these technologies will increase. It’s crucial we nurture the talents of the UK’s students now, to combat concerns that the UK is facing a skills deficit, and ensure we have the skills available to manage and innovate these technologies in the future.”