How Technology Training Can Level Up Your Staff's Skillsets

In any industry, maintaining your workforce means offering opportunities for staff to grow in their roles. In fact, workforce training is one of the top drivers of employee satisfaction, retention and growth at most organizations. At the same time, staying ahead of technology advancements and training for new roles is no longer optional — it’s an absolute necessity.

Technology and technical roles are evolving rapidly every day. So, how can your organization keep pace with innovation while fostering comprehensive education and training for your staff today?

Technology training is one of the best ways to ensure that your staff is prepared to handle the demands of this ever-evolving industry. A robust technology training program built to support staff in both their current and future roles will bolster current capabilities and ensure that your workforce’s skillsets keep pace with new technologies and changes in the market.

The question is not whether technology training is valuable, it’s whether your organization is currently leveraging it in the most effective way possible.

Beyond one-off courses or certification trainings, a comprehensive technology training program can empower your organization to unlock the full value of your technology stack, accelerate future tech investments’ ROI and help keep your organization ahead of your competition. Additional benefits include:

• Staying ahead of the curve. Regular education, especially role-aligned training programs, help ensure that your staff stays up to date on the latest technological advancements and industry trends. This enables them to remain competitive in their roles and better positions your organization to be a leader in your industry.
  
  
• Increasing efficiency and productivity. With a stronger understanding of the technology they use every day, your workforce can work more efficiently and effectively, enabling them to spend more time on achieving business outcomes. Knowledge of new tools, technology and resources will allow skilled staff to identify opportunities for process improvement  leading to overall improvement in operational efficiency.
  
  
• Enhancing cybersecurity awareness. As cyberthreats continue to evolve, it is impossible to overstate the importance of basic cybersecurity best practices among all roles and skill levels of your workforce. Providing regular cybersecurity training helps create a culture of security awareness while reducing the risk and impact of cybersecurity incidents.
  
  
• Retaining top talent and improving morale. Employees value organizations that invest in their professional development. By providing consistent training opportunities, organizations can attract and retain top talent while combating the challenges that come with continually evolving technology.

An individual course offers targeted learning on a specific topic or vendor technology, while a role-aligned training program is tailored to the skills and knowledge required for a particular job role.  The latter typically provides a more comprehensive and practical approach, ensuring that training is directly applicable to the individual’s responsibilities and career development.

Role-aligned training programs work differently in that they’re customized to the individual team member and aligned to industry technologies and organizational goals. For example, CDW can effectively assess a security operations center (SOC) team by beginning with a screening exercise. From there, your organization can measure your team’s skills and knowledge areas against industry benchmarks. Finally, CDW’s Workforce Development team will deliver a comprehensive learning plan recommendation tailored from the results.

Where should you start when building an effective technology training program? Here are a few considerations to keep in mind. 

1. Build a diverse, yet comprehensive curriculum. Develop a well-rounded and diverse curriculum that addresses a variety of skills, knowledge areas and learning styles to meet the needs of a broad audience.
   
   
2. Understand requirements for emerging technologies. Gain a deep understanding of the requirements for emerging technologies to stay ahead of trends. This will ensure that your organization is equipped to effectively implement and support these innovations.
   
   
3. Update training programs based on industry needs. To address skill gaps and stay ahead of technological trends and industry practices, it's important to continuously develop and refine curriculums and job roles based on input from subject matter experts (SMEs). With regular updates and assessments, your organization can be sure that your training programs are always relevant, and your workforce remains skilled and competitive in a rapidly changing landscape.
   
   
4. Don’t wait to engage an expert partner. Early collaboration ensures that you have the guidance and support needed to drive success from the start.  An expert partner with deep expertise in workforce development and technology training will be able to build and maintain a curriculum customized to your organization’s specific goals and capabilities. What’s more, engaging an expert partner like CDW brings with it top-level SMEs and the latest hands-on equipment, providing best-of-breed training and education informed by decades of real-world experience.
   
   No matter how your organization engages an expert partner, remember that your training program strategy should ensure a holistic approach that focuses on career development to grow talent. This will help your organization stay ahead of the curve in technology and maintain a skilled workforce that can effectively handle the ever-changing technology landscape.

It's no secret both cyber and vendor-aligned training are critical to most organizations’ training strategies. When investing in technology, it’s crucial to maximize its value and ensure you get the most out of your investment. Training will enhance employee productivity, ensure compliance, reduce risk and foster growth. By ensuring proficiency, organizations can gain a competitive edge.

Our CDW Workforce Development team offers comprehensive, hands-on technical training in cybersecurity. Developing cybersecurity experts is essential to safeguarding your investment. CDW is an authorized training partner (ATP) for vendors like Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks. CDW also offers vendor aligned authorized training around Cisco, Microsoft, and AWS technologies.    

Partnering with CDW to build your training program means gaining a trusted partner who will collaborate with you to assess your organization’s needs, align appropriate courses and assist in uncovering and developing a comprehensive plan. Classes are available online, in-person and even onsite in group sessions with your team as needed. All sessions are taught by certified instructors with decades of experience.

Technology training is always a valuable investment, so be sure that your organization is fully capitalizing on that investment to maximize its full potential.