Has recession left your skills lacking?

As the downturn ends, IT managers must ensure that their staff are trained for the challenges ahead

It seems things are looking up. We’re hearing the recession is over and we are in for a slow, but sure, recovery. And IT seems better positioned than most. Recent research by e-skills UK suggests that IT spending will rise this year and many thousands of jobs will be created.

That is all well and good, but there are concerns that the sector might not be ready. Fewer people are entering the profession and the recession has left many former IT professionals unemployed or in different careers. Even where organisations have maintained their IT staff, budget cuts have often meant important training has been scaled back.

The idea that employees’ skills may be out of date is cause for concern. We are in an industry where each day brings some new technical innovation or security threat, and how well we deal with these rapid developments has a profound impact on the economy.

When forecasts were gloomy, managers may have been forgiven for cutting training and certification. This is no longer the case. Those who have been using the recession to justify training cuts need to be sure their workforce and new employees have the skills to work with the latest technology and meet today’s challenges or they will quickly run into problems.

Take security. New platforms bring new opportunities but also new vulnerabilities, and it is essential that these are fully understood. Security breaches or data loss scandals can cost a lot more than the training investment required to prevent them, and the loss to reputation can be huge and long lived. Managers need to be sure that their staff not only have adequate and up-to-date training, but have understood it and are able to implement it.

Another area where IT departments will see increasing pressure is green IT, which can help organisations meet emissions targets and cut energy bills. This is not a traditional area of IT training, but these are the skills that will be expected of IT departments of the future. They must understand greener energy solutions such as correct disposal of hazardous materials, preservation of power, and virtualisation. Employees who are certified in bringing about these changes will be worth their weight in cost savings to their department and organisation.

Training and certification delivers tangible returns while showing employees they are valued. It equips staff with the expertise and motivation to meet the organisation’s changing needs, and supports their career development. Furthermore, as things pick up and people start looking for new opportunities, it provides a morale boost, helping ensure staff retention and easier recruitment of top talent.

The industry needs to ask itself if its employees have learned about and understood the technology they use, and if not, provide help to ensure they do.

There are many talented people who do not have the training behind them to reach their potential, and this has to change. We are not an industry that sits in a back room advising employees to turn their computer off and on again. We are an integral part of the country’s future and our expertise must reflect that.

To do so, we need to attract more people and keep training and certifying. We wouldn’t want a doctor operating on us unless he had demonstrated he could carry out the latest procedures. Why would we be content with security staff who cannot protect against the latest threats or networking staff who are not familiar with the latest technology? We are on the cusp of a time of growth and opportunity for IT, and the success of that depends on its people.

Matthew Poyiadgi is European vice president of CompTIA