5 Ways to Upskill Your Tech Team for Future Success

To compete and thrive, your business needs IT pros with up-to-date technology skills. With the IT skills crunch deepening, however, securing these prized skill sets is easier said than done. Businesses everywhere have begun thinking outside the box when it comes to developing and acquiring top tech talent, and one way to do just that is by upskilling both new hires and experienced staff.

For starters, upskilling aids in IT recruitment. According to the Spiceworks State of IT 2019 report, 52 percent of IT pros, particularly millennials and members of Gen Z, are looking for new jobs where they can further their skills. Upskilling helps with retention, giving veterans a reason to stay with the company. But it also benefits the business, giving IT the in-house capabilities it needs to navigate successive waves of digital transformation. With that in mind, here’s a look at the benefits of upskilling and how you can upskill your tech team for future success.

Upskilling: A Win-Win Strategy for Employer and Employee Alike

In many ways, it makes sense to upskill your existing IT staff rather than hiring new employees from scratch and integrating them into your team. For one thing, IT pros who have been with your company for a while already know how the business works. That detailed knowledge of business operations and processes can be quite valuable, especially when it comes to digital transformation. It also takes time for a new hire to develop the strong working relationships that are so critical to successful IT projects and effective troubleshooting. From that perspective alone, it can be worthwhile to develop your existing staff rather than bringing in someone from the outside.

Employee satisfaction is another reason you may want to consider upskilling your IT team. Today’s tech pros know that having current skills is essential to their future career prospects, and they are more likely to show loyalty to employers that invest in their professional development. They’re also likely to be more motivated and engaged on the job, pouring their ingenuity into the projects and tasks on their plate. So, not only do you get more highly skilled IT staff as a result of your upskilling efforts, but you get more enthusiastic and dedicated employees too.

5 Ways to Upskill Your Tech Team

Upskilling can take time and some money before it bears fruit. You can upskill your IT staff in many different ways, however, which is good news because not everyone learns best in exactly the same way, and not all IT leaders are blessed with the abundant professional development budgets they would like to have. According to Robert HalfOpens a new window , upskilling can take many forms, including these five options:

• Lunch and Learns. Ideally suited for employees who have precious little time to spare in their regular workdays—and that describes most if not all IT pros if we’re being honest—lunch and learn sessions offer a relaxed, casual environment in which outside experts or internal employees can train your team on a specific subject or concept.
• Mentoring Programs. If you have subject matter experts on staff, you may want to consider having them mentor their less experienced colleagues. Doing so helps the mentors hone their leadership skills while passing on valuable knowledge to other employees within the department. This method could be especially helpful for cultivating softer skills among less experienced IT staff, for example.
• Virtual Learning. Particularly if you have telecommuting or remotely located IT staff, virtual learning can be an ideal option. It can take place as a formal class scheduled for a specific time, or it can be organized as a self-guided course that your employees complete on their own time.
• Microlearning Sessions. Some topics or concepts don’t need in-depth treatment. For these, a microlearning option may be perfect. They can take the form of short, 10-minute video courses with a brief quiz at the end. Even busy IT pros can fit microlearning into their schedules, gradually sampling bite-sized learning as they go.
• Tuition Reimbursement or Assistance. On the flip side, some subject matter really does require dedicated, in-depth study. If members of your team are aiming for their Amazon Web Services or Six Sigma certification, for example, you may want to either reimburse them for the courses they take or chip in some funding toward the total cost.

Upskill Your IT Pros for Future Success

Upskilling can help set your IT department for future success in multiple ways. It aids in recruitment, boosts retention, and enhances employee satisfaction. Upskilling can even improve customer satisfaction—happy employees have a way of delivering better customer service, after all. If you’ve been looking to level up your IT team’s skills, upskilling is an option worth seriously considering.