A new global survey conducted by e-learning and training provider SkillSoft has revealed what many IT and contact center professionals have long observed: that training is inadequate.

 

The study reported that 78 percent of American and 74 percent of U.K. and Continental European IT staff say that they have been asked to undertake tasks without proper training.

 

The percentage of IT professionals who felt this way exceeded the aggregate total of workers surveyed, which is roughly seven out of 10 employees. 68 percent of American workers polled agreed training would have helped had they received it before doing certain tasks in their jobs.

 

American managers also feel that they do not receive adequate technical training. Technical tasks ranked second, behind project management and ahead of managing people in a list of top 10 tasks that they are being asked to handle without proper instruction. In contrast, technical functions ranked fourth for U.K. and for other European managers.

 

U.S. respondents cited supervisors, customer service, and IT teams as the top three functions most in need of training. By comparison U.K. surveyees placed line and senior managers and supervisors in that ranking cluster. Other European participants listed supervisors, line managers/IT Team, and senior managers in that category. In contrast, customer service teams came sixth in the U.K .and fifth in the rest of Europe.

 

With organizations making investments in and utilizing increasingly sophisticated technology, and relying more on customer service as market differentiators and revenue retention tools, these gaps must be filled.

 

The good news for employers, reports SkillSoft, is that managers globally concur that training and development is an essential part of their organizations’ strategy. But the survey data suggests that basic training is not enough, and that management skills training is a neglected area, leading managers to feel less confident in their ability to manage and lead people.

 

“This survey not only shows the significance of leadership training, but it also proves workers need to be trained at all stages of their careers,” said John Ambrose, senior vice president of Strategy, Corporate Development and Emerging Business, SkillSoft. “Regardless of a company’s training program, on-boarding plays a key role in getting employees properly acclimated, and as the employee matures, efforts need to fit the specific employee role.”

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