11/17/2010 5:50:24 PM
Research urges IT training
A report by research company Freeform Dynamics has highlighted
the danger of organisations neglecting IT training in an effort to
tighten their belts during the economic downturn.
I was skim-reading the report and it got me thinking. We all
know that people are our greatest asset (a well-worn phrase for
most businesses). This is true at every level, but by failing to
get the most out of your employees you are holding your business
back. Because what is your business if it’s not a collection of
people working towards shared goals?
If they don't invest in developing our employees’ skills and
capabilities, businesses will, at best, tread water.
And so to training - history tells us that training is one of
the first things to go when budgets are squeezed. IT training isn't
just about working on technical skills - it can encompass project
management, compliance and security training as well.
But is any of this actually critical? What is training, really,
and what is the point of training if people don't understand the
connection between training they have undergone and new
expectations arising from it?
Of course, training is about equipping people with new skills.
But it’s also about informing people about the rules: how the
collective 'we', go about doing things. If we all do things in the
right manner it will negate the increasing risks that can appear
when transacting.
What about technical training? Let me use a discipline close to
my background - IT Security and Compliance. If we all acted
responsibly and did things in the correct manner there would be no
risks and businesses would be fully compliant. Risks exist, and
compliance is sought not because people are stupid, but because the
problems are becoming more and more complex. IT Heads, Chief
Security Officers and FDs responsible for IT Security and
Compliance dream of being able to assume that a lost mobile device
or memory stick would not contain confidential information, but who
would bet their job on it?
The downturn is hopefully behind us now, but Freeform Dynamics
still find IT training to be low on the priority list. ARM has
first-hand experience of this. For six years now we’ve been a major
Training supplier, and we’re noticing an upturn in the demand for
IT training specifically.
Note that it is IT training that is experiencing a comparative
surge in popularity. Even during the downturn, we still saw a
demand for soft skills training courses: from Project Management,
Ethical, ISO and a host of other hot topics.
It seems that firms are waking up once again to the realisation
that investing in
IT training is a way of ensuring efficiency and
cost-effectiveness, and that putting staff first is essential to
making the most from the recovery's green shoots.
Damian Hicklin
IT
Security & Communications Manager
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ARM