Upskilling and retraining to meet the demand for tech skills

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, IT is one of the few industries that overall, hasn’t been too negatively impacted. In fact, many of the initiatives to fight the outbreak are based on digital innovation.

As such, there’s a real need for tech skills at the moment (even more so than usual), which presents employers with an opportunity to upskill, or retrain staff to start a new career in tech. In turn, this can ensure that companies have the right skills to meet demand and be competitive once the market recovers.

According to the Harvey Nash / KPMG CIO Survey, two thirds of UK CIOs already reported a shortfall of tech talent in 2019. And Workplace Insight reports that an estimated 600,000 vacancies in digital technology is costing the country £63 billion a year.

Let’s take a closer look at how employers can upskill and retrain staff to support the ongoing need for tech skills:

Focus on the most in-demand jobs in tech

According to a recent McKinsey Global Institute report, by 2030, 14% of the global workforce may need to switch jobs as digitisation, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) disrupts the world of work.

At CWJobs, we recently released our own data that shows which tech jobs have seen the most demand since COVID-19. Here’s an overview of our findings:

Infrastructure professionals

There’s an increasing need for companies to upgrade and maintain their IT infrastructure to ensure business as usual.

IT support

Remote workers require access to ongoing support with email access, forgotten passwords and viruses.

Cybersecurity specialists

Security controls need to be in place to protect new infrastructures that have been set up for remote working.

IT administrators

Admin staff are often the first to notice network problems through the IT usage stats they collect.

Programmers

In March 2020, we saw a 10% increase in jobs posted for full stack developer roles and a 14% increase for DevOps engineers.

On the job training

One of the quickest ways to upskill or retrain employees is to provide on the job training. With companies in various sectors facing an immediate need for tech skills, there may not be time for employees to undertake a comprehensive training package to learn a new skill.

On the job training enables staff to learn by doing, in real-life circumstances that address the challenges that companies are currently facing. Learning on the job is typically most effective when senior staff members are assigned as mentors, working alongside staff who are retraining.

In the current climate, this approach is still possible with remote working tools. Video conferencing software like Zoom and project managements tools like Trello, can help ensure senior staff stay connected with those who are upskilling.

Making the most of online courses

Upskilling and retraining online can be an effective way for employees and candidates to increase their tech knowledge. Online learning platform Udacity is currently offering free tech training to workers whose job status has been impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

By training in fields such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analysis and cloud computing, jobseekers will have a set of new skills to lean on when companies are hiring again.

For employees, online learning can provide a bridge between on the job training and attending in-person courses or seminars. Employees who have been with a company for several years, may already understand the challenges the company faces and simply need the skills to support their needs.

Online learning also enables staff to learn at their own pace. During the current pandemic, some workers may have additional time to spend on upskilling and will be able to complete online courses quickly.

In any case, learning online is usually most effective when tackled in bite-sized chunks, using a little and often approach. A 2018 report published by microlearning platform Axonify, finds that bite-sized learning is particularly effective in retail (27%), manufacturing and logistics (25%) and finance and insurance (22%).

Providing ongoing support

As employees undertake a retraining or upskilling programme, it’s important that employers offer ongoing support. With most of the global workforce currently working from home, many workers are having to navigate additional challenges of childcare, access to resources and the general anxiety brought about by the current crisis.

Companies should make an extra effort to check in with employees who are retraining and to be as flexible as they can in allowing them to choose their own training schedule. In some cases, employers may have to adapt their original training processes to accommodate remote working.

Some ways that companies are keeping their workers motivated include organising virtual after-work drinks, quizzes and general non-work-related catch ups. Others are offering online shopping vouchers, providing access to free online fitness classes and non-work-related training courses.

Building a learning culture

Coronavirus has forced many companies to adapt new working practices and change their mindset around upskilling and retraining. We’d imagine that a lot of employers will have realised the importance of having learning integrated into their culture.

This immediate need for tech skills provides employers with the opportunity to develop a culture of learning in their business. It should be an ongoing process where employees can explore areas that they’re interested in.

Regardless of how companies approach upskilling and retraining, what really matters is that it becomes part of their long-term strategy. At CWJobs, employers can create a Company Profile that can be used to communicate their upskilling and retraining opportunities to candidates. Employers can also benefit from programmatic ads and target candidates while they acquire new tech skills. They can also use Social Ads to target newly upskilled candidates across the UK.