Recently I was reading a survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) conducted by a very well-respect staffing and recruiting firm. The survey found that the CIOs listed technology skills as the area where their staff needed the most improvement.
The survey really hit home with me. As a trainer I see every day that people are not able to work efficiently because they have not been trained with the proper technology skills. Many times this is not really any one person’s fault. It is often just an overlooked area because of how busy everyone is.
Based on this survey, I think it would benefit many corporations to examine and talk to their CIO’s and employees to see where these gaps are. Taking a little time to find these areas that need improvement and to do some training could turn out to be a big benefit to the corporation overall.
Another survey looked at the same issue from a different angle. The other survey found that many employees are not as confident in their technology skills. Because the rate of speed at which technology moves forward, many people find it hard to keep up.
I think we can all learn something from these surveys, as employees and employers. It is up to all of us to work together to find and fill the holes in our technology skills. The benefit will be felt by both the corporation and the people who work there. Even more importantly, the corporation can better serve its customers with better trained and more efficient employees. To me that is a “Win! Win!” scenario!
