TALKING

One of the things that COVID-19 taught us is that , while we ’ ve all relied on technology to connect , it also highlighted a need to be human .

Skillsoft saw a dramatic increase in the number of learning hours compared to the previous year .

Upskilling is not a straightforward endeavour and requires commitment and investment from organizations as well as from employees tasked with learning often difficult and complex new skills . However , these skills are not readily available so businesses can ’ t hire themselves out of this situation . Approximately 3.5 million security roles will go unfilled this year .

On the other side of the talent coin , talent retention has never been more important . If businesses can find employees with key tech skills , it ’ s crucial to hang on to them . Studies show that employees are willing to stay if their employers invest in their career development . In fact , Skillsoft research shows a voluntary turnover reduction of approximately 5 % with abundant learning opportunities . So , learning and development is key to talent retention .

Guided learning

Making content available to employees is not enough . Technology leaders need to guide employees through their skills development on a clear path to a future role . For example , if a data analyst aspires to become a data scientist , they need a clear roadmap of the skills they will need to develop to get there . IT leaders need to carry some of the responsibility for L & D . HR departments cannot do it alone . Learning is both an individual and an organizational responsibility and those organizations who will do well during this critical time will have created a Deep Learning culture .

Future skills

As technology embeds itself in every facet of every organization , it will become increasingly common for the IT team to work with peers from across the organization . For this to be successful , it ’ s critical for employees to have multidisciplinary skills and ‘ human ’ or ‘ people ’ skills will also be in great demand . For example , it is no good having a great technical operator if they ’ re unable to communicate the benefits of their technology to the broader business .

One of the things that COVID-19 taught us is that , while we ’ ve all relied on technology to connect , it also highlighted a need to be human . We ’ re seeing an increasing convergence of tech and people skills which has coined the term ‘ The T-shaped Employee ’ – an individual who has deep knowledge and skills in a particular area , along with a willingness and ability to make connections across disciplines .

At IBM , where the T-shaped employee started , we analyzed role descriptions from 75 technology-related job postings . Of all the requirements listed for IT professionals and leaders , 42 % were business and leadership skills .

Technology leaders are the driving force for business success . As we look forward , business success depends on the ability to navigate the rapidly innovating technology space and skilled employees hold the key to that success . Developing the right skills through learning and development and empowering employees to drive their L & D journey is critical . There is no better time for an organization to fully embrace upskilling its workforce to create a future-ready team . p

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