ICT Inquiry: How do managers feel about ICT staff training?

e-skills UK recently published their latest ICT Inquiry carried out during the first quarter of 2009. Based on more than 2,000 telephone interviews with individuals in ICT management roles across the UK, the survey makes an interesting read of the concerns and needs of IT managers with regards to staff training. (The site requires registration, which is free.)

Concerns over flexibility, value and content

The biggest concern (a major issue for 53% of respondents) was understanding exactly what training was needed among the ICT staff, followed by finding good value training (a major concern for 31% of respondents). Many respondents also found it difficult to find training that can be delivered flexibly (25% of respondents).

The results of this survey seem to echo the worries that many of our clients have expressed during the past year. How do I know where my team of PHP developers needs improvement? How do I make sure that I am getting the best possible value for our ever-decreasing training budget? And how can I fit a training course into our schedule, when project deadlines are looming ahead and new tasks can pop up at a short notice?

Step 1: Analysing the situation

Over the years, we have defined a detailed process for creating training programmes that meet the needs of our clients and deliver just what is needed to get the team up to scratch again. By starting the process with a brainstorming session with the manager and complementing this with individual interviews with each developer, it is possible to craft a detailed battle plan. The manager will undoubtedly have many hopes and needs for his development team and its performance, which will be defined during the brainstorm.

After that, each developer’s skills are assessed and compared against the desired outcome of the training programme as well as the industry average for each skill/technology. We now have a clear understanding of what skills are lacking and where improvement is needed.

Step 2: Building a battle plan

Based on this information, it is possible to build a detailed training programme that takes into account each developer’s strengths and weaknesses. Since Bob is already a master of Scalability, there is no need for him to attend a module where three of his colleagues will learn all about peak management and graceful degradation. Instead, Bob will join two other colleagues to study Continuous Integration and phpUnderControl during the Quality Assurance module. Whatever the team can already handle can be left out of the programme, ensuring that you are only paying for what is actually needed and maximising the return on investment on your training budget.

Step 3: Keeping you in control

Finally, one of the key points in building a customised plan is the flexibility it offers to the development team. The entire programme can be delivered during one intensive week, or the various modules can be spread over a period of several weeks, whenever the team is able to break from their daily routine. Classes can be organised at your office, or somewhere outside the team’s normal working environment. Both approaches have their perks. What is important is that the impact on your day-to-day work and disturbances to current projects will be kept to minimum.

If you would like to discuss your training needs with Ibuildings, please fill in our contact form or call us on 0208 359 1214.