IBM today unveiled free Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) software tools and training resources for academic and commercial developers.

Big Blue cited a recent report from analyst firm Aberdeen Group, which found that an obstacle in the adoption of RFID is the shortage of internal RFID skills that companies are experiencing.

"There remains an elephant in the room that organisations have only recently begun to notice, and it's large enough to threaten the success of many RFID projects," said David Sommer, vice president, The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

"We conducted a survey of solution providers, consultants, system integrators, and end-users of RFID technology earlier this year and found that RFID deployments continue to be hampered by a shortage of individuals skilled in the technology."

The IBM offerings include a graphical tool that allows developers to simulate how an actual RFID application will work. A further module provides an educational toolkit that explains how RFID technologies work, how to develop RFID-enabled applications, and best practices for implementing RFID systems.

In addition the package includes a tool that enables developers to create applications that are ready to interact and respond to the events that take place within a given RFID system.

“As the demand for emerging technologies like RFID continues to rise, IBM is committed to providing developers and students with the tools and resources needed to work with these technologies, and obtain jobs in the IT industry,” said Buell Duncan, general manager, ISV & Developer Relations, IBM.

All these technologies and learning resources are now available on alphaWorks, IBM’s online outlet for emerging technologies.