The main aim of this thesis is to examine critically the position of information technology (IT) in both the employment and education sectors and investigate the liaison between them. The principal focus of the thesis is a detailed enquiry into the needs of employers in the IT area, and their perceptions of education and training in relation to those needs. This enquiry utilises a range of methods: interview, questionnaire, and case study. Evidence from the employer's enquiry is compared with evidence gathered from a survey of IT education and training in secondary education and in the Information Technology Centre (ITeC) programme of the Youth Training Scheme. As a background to the empirical enquiries and to place them in their broader context, the thesis also broadly examines four areas: the nature of information technology; its place within and effect upon employment patterns; the growth of IT in education, both as a subject in itself and as a tool; and the terms and general language used in linking education to employment. These investigations, together with existing research and other empirical enquiries, show that the crucial skill shortages relating to information technology exist at the higher levels. It is suggested