Training goes the distance

Good news on the training front – more than half of companies recognize the importance of keeping their technology workers’ skills current. That’s according to a recent survey from IT consulting firm Cutter Consortium.

Of those surveyed, 63% of companies offer proactive training programs designed to keep its tech workers’ skills current. The remaining 37% of firms don’t provide such training.

Steve Andriole, a senior consultant with Cutter Consortium, says, “The pace of today’s business is generating technology problem-solving requirements faster than employers and employees can satisfy them. This is stressing learning organizations to the point where they have to invest in serious training programs for their employees.”

Andriole notes that there must be a strategy behind the training programs, and not just learning for the sake of learning. “If the strategies aren’t clear, then all of the work to keep employees current may be misdirected: training requirements should be derived from business strategies and tactics – not the other way around.”

Many companies have deployed online distance learning as one way to train their employees. In fact, 41%, of firms offer distance learning. A greater number, 43%, don’t offer distance learning. However, 16% of companies plan to offer distance learning programs in the next six to 12 months.

Andriole cites the benefits of distance learning, including its cost-effectiveness and the fact that it allows employees to take the initiative to help themselves to content they need or are told to acquire.

For more information about Cutter, go to http://www.cutter.com