In general, the field of ICT (Information Communications Technology) is so broad that you might not expect that a decent course could be based around it. While there may be some difficulties with forming an effective training structure, this isn’t an impossible goal however. If you’re considering creating a program to teach your employees the ICT skills that they need to survive in their jobs, read on and discover some secrets behind this complex planning process.
What Do Your Employees Need to Know?
Since this is a broad topic, you’ll need to hone it down so that you can confidently cover the subject matter without having to take too long with your staff. After all, you’ll need to train them without eating too much into their work schedule. To do this, it is important to think about the many different categories covered within ICT and which ones apply to your staff members’ responsibilities. Some of the most important here are listed for your information below:
- Word processing & spreadsheets
- Desktop publishing & graphic design
- Accounting, sales & finance platforms
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Computer aided design (CAD) software
Determining which of these programs your employees use the most will then help you tailor your ICT training to their specific needs. This will ensure your employees learn precisely what they need to know for their position.
Do Your Research about IT Certification
These days, there are plenty of standards that your business will have to follow when it comes to how technology is integrated into your operations. Your clients expect that their personal information will be protected from data leaks, virus attacks, etc. after all! Because of this, it’s important to put your staff through the proper training courses so that they are eventually accredited in the correct manner.
If you’re unsure about what your staff need however, it may be confusing to pick and choose the right sort of certification. This complexity and confusion is the reason why most people seek sources like an ITIL to prepare for various ICT certifications. As the business owner, it is up to you to find out as much as possible about the types of accreditation available out there. To give you a head start, some of the most popular are listed for your convenience below:
- ISO27001
- ISO22301
- COBIT
- ISO20000
- UK DPA
- PCI DSS
This is just a short list of the different certification available. The exact details here will depend on your staff requirements as well as your company’s location.
Consider Your Employee Schedules
Since your workers will be spending time away from their desks in order to study the courses you’re creating, you’ll have to consider their timetables to make classes more convenient. Your ICT training should allow for uninterrupted work time as well so as to not disrupt the flow of any projects that you have going on. This balancing act will be important to master as you find the perfect time for your staff to learn without causing any delays in the workplace tasks that you’ve appointed for them. If the courses are being held within the office, you won’t need to account for travel time either, a viable alternative for the busy corporate manager who really needs his employees to stay focused as much as possible.
Create a Workplace Education Policy
Having your ICT training written into your employee handbooks will form a much more productive and ordered working environment. This is because it encourages your staff members to actually improve their skills and knowledge by:
- Stating how often each worker is required to train
- Specifying the suitable accreditation courses available
- Providing adequate reimbursement for this extra study
All of this will let your employees know exactly what is expected of them with their ICT certification. In this way, they can plan their schedule as they’ll know exactly what they’re studying, what the topics are, and what the compensation will be.
By following this advice, you can then set out to create a comprehensive ICT program for your business. In this way, you can keep your employees motivated and informed, provide them with the proper accreditation, and update their skills and knowledge, all without disrupting their schedules in any way.
Author Bio:
Zoe George is a freelance writer for IT Governance Ltd, a company in the UK that offers products and services that address different IT concerns. They even have an Information Technology Infrastructure Library® or ITIL for managing IT as a service.
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