Although IT training can help companies improve their operations and boost retention, many IT pros say the training they get from their employers isn’t effective. 

IT training saves organizations money, according to a study conducted last year by IDC.

When training isn’t a part of IT projects, those projects are more likely to fail than others. Projects that spent more than 6% of the budget on staff training were more successful than projects that spent less than 3% on training.

In addition, many companies complain their IT departments lack critical skills, and training current employees is a good way to overcome that problem when hiring from the outside is too difficult or cost-prohibitive.

However, a new study says tech staffers don’t feel like they’re getting the training they need.

Employee training is especially important in IT right now, as competition for talent has made it difficult to find employees skilled in important areas such as cloud computing and mobile technology. Many businesses find it’s more successful and less expensive to train current staffers in those areas than to battle with competitors over a shallow talent pool.

However, just 30% of IT pros said the training programs they went through in their jobs had been effective, according a recent survey from training provider ON24. Overall, 84% of office workers say there are problems with the training their employers offer.

The top problems listed were that training:

• Only happens occasionally (cited by 48% of the 500 employees surveyed)
• Is inconsistent (45%)
• Uses materials that are boring and not up-to-date (25%), and
• Takes place at inconvenient times (22%).

Investing more in IT training programs can pay off for companies. Training is a key benefit that can help retain IT pros even as offers come in from competitors. Also, boosting the skills of the current staff will help the company increase productivity and get access to new technology areas without having to shell out top dollar for new employees with the right skills and experience.

Tags: retention, skills, training