The report examines the current state of the IT industry and highlights the need to upskill and reskill the workforce in light of rapid advancements in AI and machine learning (ML) technologies.
The biggest cause of the skills gap is the rate of technological change outpacing training programs. Last year, 45% of IT professionals said their management didn't see tangible benefits from training. Now, as skill building becomes a business imperative, only 15% say the same. 97% of IT leaders say certified staff add value to their organization.
The biggest reason for IT professionals to build skills is to prepare their organizations for new technologies, especially as generative AI (Gen AI) becomes more advanced.
“As AI accelerates disruption at an unprecedented pace, the need for talent development has never been greater,” Orla Daly, chief information officer at Skillsoft, said in a statement. “Organizations are at a critical juncture where they need to be thoughtful and proactive about building skills and capabilities specifically related to AI, or risk falling behind next year.”
Training impetus:
Research shows that skills development is essential to building a competitive organization, but more work needs to be done to optimize training among technology teams. Only 37% of IT professionals say they receive training “almost always” when their employer invests in new technology. Additionally, compared to last year, 40% more IT leaders say their organizations don't invest enough in professional development, and 80% more say their current training programs are not effective at developing needed skills.
IT professionals who receive training report improved quality of work (62%), greater engagement (47%), and improved job performance (45%). Meanwhile, 82% of IT professionals say training is extremely or very important to their careers, and lack of training was the top factor that caused respondents to change jobs in the past year.
