According to The State of the IT Skills Gap published by CompTIA the answer is YES. Not only is there a skills gap, but it is impacting productivity.

This makes us ask 2 questions:  (1) How did we get here; and (2) What do we do about it?

How Did We Get Here?

In answer to how did we get here the answer is pretty simple.  When times get tough one of the first things to go is the training budget.  Seems that somehow executives forget that it takes employees armed with the best technical skills to keep their organizations competitive.  Stopping training is like going to sleep when winter sets in.  Executives believe that if they cut as much as possible they will live until Spring.  However, in their case, when Spring comes nothing will be in bloom because they didn’t plant the training seeds of success.

What Can We Do About It?

In answer to what do we do about it?  The answer may seem simple, but it is not.  You can’t just say train, train, train.  Organizations and individuals need to do a skills gap analysis to determine where they are and where they need to be and then identify the many ways they can get there.  The skills gap analysis does not have to be complicated.  In fact, we offer a FREE 10 Step Guide to Training Success that helps individuals and organizations to help them in this process.  If you would like a copy you can sign up for a Free Account or send us an email request and we will be happy to send it out to you.

There are many great ways to get up to speed quickly and they each depend on a number of factors.  In the coming week we will be posting information on classroom training, online training and self-paced training.  If you have any questions you would like me to answer, send me an email at marianne@gogotraining.com.