80% of IT staff value skills acquisition over a work-life balance
~ acquiring new skills boosts staff retention and demonstrates training ROI ~
Research commissioned by TechRepublic and business skills provider Global Knowledge shows that 80% of IT professionals worldwide consider increasing their skills vital to job satisfaction. The majority want to learn new skills to move up the career ladder.
Skills acquisition is rated above work-life balance and job security for younger workers who are highly ambitious. They also want to feel they’re contributing to a business and are involved in its long-term strategy.
“It’s interesting to note from our research that younger workers are more concerned about gaining new responsibilities than their more tenured colleagues who were more likely to favour a work-life balance,” said Allan Pettman, UK managing director of Global Knowledge. “The next generation of IT professionals is prepared to learn new tricks and skills to remain employable. This is especially promising given the current economic climate with no one’s job being secure. Companies need to be mindful that staff are being given the opportunities they seek.”
While technical skills are demanded of IT workers, little is done to enable a wider range of skills. Project management, insight into and influence upon strategy and understanding of how an IT or technology overhaul fits into the business and people skills are all important while the latter helps make sure staff are being developed and motivated, which in turn helps with retention.
“Staff turnover is a big time-consuming cost,” continued Allan. “If we can give restless IT employees the chance to train up and add skills via a learning and development programme, he or she will contribute more and be less likely to leave. These IT staff can then also spot cost-cutting opportunities through virtualisation and an understanding of the latest software packages, alleviating some of the burden of an organisation and demonstrating a tangible return on investment of the training.”