Why IT Training Efforts Get Mixed Grades
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Why IT Training Efforts Get Mixed Grades
IT leaders are more confident than their workers in assessing their company's ability to train and/or improve the skills of internal staff to meet future needs. -
Employment Enticement
68% of the IT leaders surveyed said their company offers additional development and raining options to attract and retain tech talent. -
Future Planning
53% of IT leaders expressed confidence in their organization's ability to train and/or improve the skills of internal staff to satisfy future talent needs, but just 42% of IT pros feel this way. -
Intellectual Deficits
60% of IT leaders said their company has successfully addressed knowledge gaps through training and development initiatives, but only 46% of IT pros said the training they've taken has enhanced their ability to meet the demands of their current role. -
Disenchanted Departed
60% of IT leaders said their company has successfully addressed knowledge gaps through training and development initiatives, but only 46% of IT pros said the training they've taken has enhanced their ability to meet the demands of their current role. -
Loyalty Factor
87% of IT pros said professional training and development boosts loyalty among employees, and 82% of IT leaders agree. -
Awareness Gap
Just 57% of IT pros are aware of the policies and opportunities their company has in place for tech training and development, but 73% of IT leaders believe their employees are aware of these policies and opportunities. -
Missing Link
Only 47% of IT leaders said their organization has been able to translate training and development investments into positive business outcomes. -
Lacking Leadership
Just 23% of IT leaders said their organization has a chief learning officer or other executive who is responsible for creating an internal IT and business training and development curriculum. -
Footing the Bill
74% of IT pros feel that employers should pay for training and development courses, and 65% of IT leaders agree.
While most organizations are investing in training for their tech talent, IT leaders and workers offer contrasting perspectives about the effectiveness of these efforts, according to a recent survey from TEKsystems. IT leaders are notably more confident than their employees in assessing their company's ability to train and/or improve the skills of internal staff to meet future needs. These leaders are also more likely to conclude that they're successfully addressing existing knowledge gaps through these initiatives. However, even most of these leaders admit that they've had little success in leveraging these efforts to achieve positive business outcomes. It doesn't help that few companies employ a chief learning officer, or a senior executive who is responsible for an internal IT and business training and development curriculum. These programs are "lacking direction and focus, autonomous but without authority," said Jason Hayman, research manager at TEKsystems. "Training and development programs exist in a nonstrategic vacuum and have limited impact on the organization. That's unfortunate, since it appears organizations acknowledge that they offer training and development in order to create higher levels of employee loyalty and retention. For maximized effectiveness, it's imperative that these programs are revamped to be strategic and properly structured and implemented to create real business benefit." More than 300 CIOs, IT vice presidents and other IT leaders, and 900 IT professionals took part in the research.