IT Management Slideshow: 10 Ways to Develop Your Tech Talent

CIOs and other senior tech managers spend much of their time recruiting IT talent. But how effective are they when it comes to cultivating a culture of professional development and a clear path to career advancement? It's a serious issue for companies hoping to retain top performers. In fact, 80 percent of employers say it's difficult or "very difficult" to secure workers with scientific skills, according to a survey from APQC. And 65 percent say it's difficult or very difficult to keep workers with an engineering background. A recent report from APQC, "Technical Talent Management: Sourcing, Developing, and Retaining Technical Talent," reveals best practices for developing and retaining tech talent based upon the experiences and insights of five high-performing companies: Caterpillar, Inc., General Mills, Inc., IBM Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. Space Systems Company (SSC), and Schlumberger Ltd. Ultimately, the research reveals that the recruiting, training, evaluating and promoting of valued professionals requires hard work and clear benchmarks and goals. APQC is a member-based nonprofit designed to expand the use of knowledge management, benchmarking and best-practices business research.