Reskilling Your IT Team in Today’s Competitive Job Market
It’s no secret that businesses have difficulty staffing to meet demands. This is especially true for IT positions where candidates can be selective and hard to come by.
So, what’s a business to do to align IT staff with the skills required to keep your business on the leading edge of technology?
Reskilling them to meet those new needs may be the answer.
Sought After IT Skills In 2022
According to CompTIA, the most sought-after IT skills in 2022 are in the following categories:
- Infrastructure
- Development
- Cybersecurity
- Analytics
Chances are your business has needs in one or more of these categories. With the tech worker shortage showing no signs of letting up soon, reskilling your current IT staff to meet them is likely your best alternative.
You wouldn’t be alone in this effort. A recent CompTIA survey cited in CIODive of 400 human resources and workforce learning professionals showed that 42% expect new efforts to upskill and reskill current employees.
Focus on New and Emerging Technologies
Whether you’re looking to reskill one or several employees, the objective should be to align the effort with technologies you plan to leverage for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, aligning them with sought-after skill categories assures they’ll be useable skills for the long term and that the investment will pay off:
Skill Category Emphasis
Infrastructure Networking, Analytics, Cloud Computing, Linux
Development Programming, UX, Machine Learning, Quality Assurance, Mobile Apps
Cybersecurity Risk Analysis, Cybersecurity Analytics, Penetration Testing, Compliance
Data & Analytics Database Administration, Analytics, Visualization, Big Data, Data Science
Create a Blended Curriculum for Learning
Not all tech workers learn the same way. When reskilling them, consider an approach that combines several teaching methods to reinforce learning at different levels.
Whether it’s on-the-job training, e-training that can be done anytime and anywhere, classroom learning or something else, keep an open mind. Survey your employees to find out how they prefer to learn and leverage their input.
Remember what’s worked in the past and observe how they learn on the job. The more you know about the methods that work and the more options you provide to meet them, the greater your chances of effecting legitimate reskilling.
To help you in your efforts, consider help from several reskilling resources online, like these shared at Nerdwallet.
Train in the Real World for the Real World
Reskilling without real-world training can undermine even the most sincere initiatives, which is why any training curriculum should include hands-on, real-world labs or simulations. It connects concepts with reality and reinforces training in a tangible and helpful way.
Engaging established or skilled employees in this effort also creates bonds and reinforces teamwork.
Don’t Forget the Incentives
Incentives for learning are a vital component of any reskilling initiative. Items like online certificates or badges, which require little to mete out, can go a long way toward keeping your workforce engaged.
They can also serve as crucial retention tools when they’re distributed as milestones throughout a curriculum. When employees are working toward a goal with real rewards along the way, they’re likely to see it through.
Monetary incentives for learning may also keep employees from seeking training and professional fulfillment from firms or competitors seeking to leverage their talents and potential.
Ask the Government for Help
If the prospect of reskilling feels like a financial challenge, there are government resources that may be able to assist you. According to TrainingIndustry.com, “there are numerous federal, state and local programs that provide grants, partial reimbursements, tax breaks or other financial incentives to companies that provide incumbent workforce training.”
An online search for government reskilling resources can put you in touch with agencies that can help.
