In today's fast-changing global economy, the path to success depends on a company's ability to anticipate market shifts and adapt strategies to capitalize on new opportunities.
Agility is the name of the game
The key to corporate flexibility is having a highly skilled IT staff that can adapt quickly to fast-changing requirements. Savvy businesses know that training helps mitigate the risks involved in new technology rollouts, smoothing the transition and shortening the learning curve needed to realize return on investment. But today's rapidly shifting global market environment demands more from IT staff than mere competence – it requires a well-honed workforce capable of supporting and enhancing a company's "adaptive capacity." Providing employees with a comprehensive range of career and skills-development opportunities can make a significant difference in attracting and retaining the agile IT workforce needed to execute the kind of turn-on-a-dime strategic maneuvering required to outperform the competition.
Winning the battle for talent
As companies increasingly target workforce development as a competitive strategy, attracting and retaining top-performing staff is paramount. CEOs and HR executives are facing a bidding war for talented workers in which top dollar is not always the trump card. Instead, research indicates that companies can improve retention rates and employee performance by developing workers' skills and making it easier for workers to find new opportunities within an organization. According to a 2006 Robert Half survey (link resides outside of ibm.com), providing training opportunities is cited most frequently by CIOs as the key to retaining essential IT talent. In addition to enhancing job satisfaction and morale among employees, IT skills training also increases employee motivation and boosts productivity.
Boosting the bottom line
According to an article in Information Week (link resides outside of ibm.com), a recent survey by Foote Partners indicates that companies are spending about 8.2% more this year on training and leadership development of their IT staff than last, in recognition of the reality that it's much more cost-effective to develop in-house talent than hire outside help. With the loss of one competent worker estimated to be the equivalent of a year's pay and benefits, CEOs see reducing staff turnover as a major cost savings.
Investing in Your No. 1 Asset
With corporations spending upwards of $22 billion per year worldwide on IT training1, it's clear that many businesses have already embraced training as a means to differentiate themselves from the competition. IBM offers a year-round schedule of technical conferences designed to get participants up to speed quickly on the latest technology advances, and its comprehensive portfolio of training offerings encompasses more than 900 courses in 28 technology areas – a depth and breadth unmatched in the industry. Through flexible options like onsite and custom classes, and flexible payment programs like the IBM Education Pack, IBM helps ensure its clients' hefty investments in technology pay back dividends by investing in their No. 1 asset – the people who run them. And as the forces of globalization reshape the marketplace, IBM training is poised to play an increasingly key role in enabling companies to maintain a highly skilled workforce capable of implementing the quick response strategies that will spell success in the future.
