How do I keep my team’s skills current? | Careers & training - IT PRO

Employers have a responsibility to keep their staff’s skills up to date and as training becomes more engaging, it’s easier to do so than ever, says Nik Rawlinson, IT PRO.

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Why do staff resign? Some find more interesting propositions elsewhere. Others are tempted by better pay. Everyone retires, eventually. But Zoe Morris, president at Frank Recruitment Group, points out one more factor: “One of the most common reasons for professionals wanting to move on is that their current employer isn’t supporting their development.”

It shouldn’t be hard. Few people are better placed to decide where a team member’s skills are lacking than that member themselves. Listen to what they say and give them the time they need to pursue those areas; yet so many managers still get it wrong...

GCHQ requires Cyber Summer School attendees to be natural problem solvers with experience of coding in at least one language. Such requirements attract a particular type of applicant. A lot of attendees already had a lot of experience doing “cyber” in their own time – a very different environment to the lectures and notes-based approach of a traditional classroom-centric course. Yet, as Vetter pointed out, relying on bedroom tinkering alone isn’t appropriate when hiring staff to work on the systems of a multi-billion-pound conglomerate – or the security of a nation.
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Source: IT PRO