IT Training Methods
All over the world we’re seeing an ever growing dependency on IT systems and the services we expect from them. As a society, we’re becoming more and more familiar with IT terminology and functions, but are we actually becoming more proficient with the systems? We should ask ourselves the question, “Is my knowledge growing at the same rate as the developments within the industry?” If it isn’t, then surely I’m falling behind.
Obviously, no one person can know everything about everything. The above question needs to be placed into context, such as Networking or Dreamweaver if that’s my chosen industry or specialist subject. The critical factors surely must be the pertinence of the knowledge as the driving force, not necessarily the breadth of knowledge.
I’m reminded of the story where the owner of a large tanker had consistent issues with the engines of his ship, and often had to bring in ’specialist’ engineers to fix the problems every time they berthed at ports around the world. Whilst trying different methods to resolve the challenge, the owner of the tanker was becoming more and more frustrated.
Finally when they berthed at a port in South America he remembered an old friend of his who, being a fully qualified engineer, had an exceptional talent for fixing and maintaining marine engines, so he asked if he could help. His friend arrived and proceeded down to the engine bays. After a period of time listening to the engines he walked around and tapped a few pipes with his spanner, finally moving to a valve which he adjusted 25 degrees clockwise. Immediately the engines settled down and the problem was resolved.
The following day the owner’s pal returned with an invoice for $10,000. The owner was horrified by the size of the invoice, particularly as all he had to do was to turn a valve. So he asked his old friend for a breakdown, hoping for a reduction. The next day the engineer returned with the breakdown as follows - For time spent onboard to solve the problem - a special rate to a friend, $1. For knowing where to tap and which valve to turn, $9,999.
This reminds us surely that all knowledge should be suitable for purpose and so equally should the methodology of training and the techniques used. Within the fast-paced IT industry the reliance upon traditional training techniques like classroom attendance and dated teaching skills is surely at odds with the buoyancy of the industry as a whole.
I’m not disparaging IT teachers. However there remains a concern where it’s left to the tutors themselves to keep their knowledge pertinent and cutting-edge - I have considerable sympathy for the difficulties in maintaining this. A person who isn’t exposed to the latest industrial developments is not in the same position as those who are working within Microsoft directly, as an example.
The reverse applies to students, who are voracious in seeking access to the latest techniques, terms and thoughts wherever possible. As such, any system that can offer 24 hour direct or indirect access to the thoughts and knowledge of the leaders in the industry would be pertinent to both teachers and students.
In the working environment, many IT systems owners look to their IT support teams to protect the business interests by doing more than just managing and maintaining the integrity of the systems. They also expect them to provide advice and strategic support to ensure that decisions regarding hardware, operating system procurement and IT procedures provide a business edge and within their particular field keep the company ahead of its competitors.
When mulling over the options for development within IT, either for a career start, as a career change, or to further ones future within the industry - one of the key factors has been the growing attraction of the professional qualifications. It benefits from the same factors overall as the Aviation industry in that a common language and format is reasonably dominant throughout.
Students seeking to maximise their employability for the long-term are favoured by adopting the approaches and methods of the industry heavyweights. This makes them attractive to a wider range of employers in both the short term and long term. Qualifications recognised by industry leaders such as the MCSE or MCSA, that have legitimacy across geographical boundaries and industry sectors, remain a prudent choice when considering the same level of insurance in today’s economic climate.
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