Apparently just training someone for the position is total rocket science for these companies.
It is a consistent thing with IT hiring. They think they can just hire someone out of a newspaper with a very specific skill set that is often unique to their company. I had one company baffled that they couldn't find anyone that didn't have 5 years experience with a proprietary bit of software the company uses. Finding someone outside of the company with that experience off the shelf is literally impossible.
I don't know what is going on here. I think the CIOs need to work with HR or something work out the depreciation of employees so that they can be replaced at a reasonable rate. Train up your low level techs to be mid level techs. Train your mid levels to be high levels. Train your high levels to be critical specialists. And offer a management track for your techs as well. You trap them in some little room with no way out and they're going to look for other jobs.