Employers in denial over success of digital skills training, say exasperated staffers
- Reference: 1643111229
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/01/25/employers_in_denial_over_success/
- Source link:
Skills shortages are nothing new, but the Talent Transformation Global Impact report from research firm Ipsos on behalf of online learning provider [1]Udacity indicates that although digital transformation initiatives are stalling due to a lack of digital talent, enterprises are becoming increasingly out of touch with what their employees need to fill the skills gap.
The report is the result of two surveys taking in over 2,000 managers and more than 4,000 employees across the US, UK, France, and Germany. It found that 59 per cent of employers state that not having enough skilled employees is having a major or moderate impact on their business.
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Over half of the organisations surveyed (56 per cent) agreed they were having difficulty hiring new employees with the level of experience needed for their digital transformation strategies. Not surprisingly, developing the skills of employees – or "talent transformation initiatives" as the report puts it - is therefore seen as a priority by the majority of enterprises.
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But the report found there were conflicting notions regarding the success of current learning and development programmes between the companies and employees.
Although four in five employers that offer development programmes classified these as being at least moderately successful, only 45 per cent of employees said they found the programmes satisfactory.
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And while 65 per cent of employers agreed with the statement that their organisation prioritises the development of employee skills, only 41 per cent of employees agreed.
[6]Team behind delayed ERP project was aware of problems but didn't inform Surrey County Council for months
[7]A fifth of England's NHS trusts are mostly paper-based as they grapple with COVID backlog, warn MPs
[8]Thought NHS Digital's wind-down meant it would stop writing cheques? Silly you. It's gone on an IT buying spree
[9]Like nuclear fusion, funding of IT on the basis of revenue generation is just around the corner, Gartner says
This trend held across all areas where the survey asked both employers and employees their view of their company's priorities, from being agile and adapting quickly, to attracting and retaining employees, to staying current with new trends and/or technologies.
In each category there was at least a 10 per cent difference in the employer's perception versus that of employees, and in some cases more than a 20 per cent difference.
According to the report's authors, the research suggests that companies worldwide are making bold claims regarding their priorities with regards to training and digital transformation, but their employees see things differently. The report states that this mismatch of opinions is a call to action for real change within enterprises.
"This research...is a wake-up call for enterprises to invest in talent transformation or risk falling behind," Ipsos senior veep Christopher Moessner said in a statement.
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He added that such a move would be a "win-win" situation for employees who desire the most in-demand tech roles, but also for employers that are not able to hire the right people to meet current and future demand.
The report shows that the pandemic has inevitably had an impact on digital transformation programmes, according to 69 per cent of organisations polled. 52 per cent indicated that important projects have been delayed or are at risk due to employee skill gaps, while half of employers claimed that digital transformation progress is being held back by a lack of employee adoption or engagement.
Most employees believe that employers should invest in their future by providing skills training, and younger employees have higher expectations, according to the report. In Germany, 69 per cent of employees aged 18 to 29 agreed with this, while in the UK, the age category agreeing most was those aged 30 to 49, at 65 per cent.
Perhaps the lesson for employers is that there needs to be greater consultation with workers regarding what kind of training is required to address their digital skills gap. But perhaps they shouldn't ask for feedback unless they welcome criticism. ®
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[1] https://www.udacity.com/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YfAsu3zS2bw-2U448P3hnwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfAsu3zS2bw-2U448P3hnwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YfAsu3zS2bw-2U448P3hnwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfAsu3zS2bw-2U448P3hnwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/24/surrey_erp_project_problems/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/07/nhs_trusts_parliament/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/07/nhs_digital_it_buy/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/11/like_nuclear_fusion_funding_of/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YfAsu3zS2bw-2U448P3hnwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Misalignment
I absolutely agree. Capability exists, but is not valued according to even market median - at least not by large employers.
I've seen our data science teams decimated and de-moted in the last three re-organisations; and unsurprisingly, the value added by de-skilling is equally decimated.
This was exacerbated by a senior manager that viewed data as a necessary evil at best. Thankfully, recently retired.
One of the biggest challenges in my opinion is merging data science with asset specialisms. People with both skillsets together are rare.
Re: Misalignment
It's not just misaligned, it's completely fekkin' skewed sideways with a twist & a spacewarp or two thrown in for good measure.
I second your suggestion to get rid of extra layers of management, but think it should go a step (or two) farther: get rid of all but a single layer of management between CEO & those in the trenches doing the actual work.
The more management deadwood you prune from the corporate tree, the healthier it'll be & the longer it might survive.
Re: Misalignment
This applies in spades to HM Civil Service. I've seen the results of not periodically culling the middle ranks in two major departments when on contract there: in both cases the resulting failures of middle management caused multi-year delays in implementing much-needed new systems.
Lord Agnew quoted very similar failings on the part of the Treasury, the British Business Bank and the National Audit Office in his resignation speech in the Lords yesterday, i.e. a total inability to understand or do their jobs.
By contrast, I've also worked in a major IT consultancy that used the opposite approach, with minimal bureaucracy between Galactic HQ and the business units, which were structured as small, independent companies that could easily be restructured and/or re-targeted as business needs changed. This resulted in a nice working environment and one that worked well until the founders retired and the new boss proved inadequate for the job.
Training Gap
From the Article -
"Most employees believe that employers should invest in their future by providing skills training, and younger employees have higher expectations, according to the report. In Germany, 69 per cent of employees aged 18 to 29 agreed with this, while in the UK, the age category agreeing most was those aged 30 to 49, at 65 per cent."
You might well find the difference in the age band between the UK and Germany is down to the training available to the differing age groups.
In the UK, it's not uncommon for companies to invest in early years training, which then tapers off significantly by the time you reach 30.
I don't know the situation in Germany, but its possible that the reverse is the case there.
"on behalf of online learning provider"
Rice-Davies applies.
So basically senior management is out of touch with the employees actually doing the work.
I just see that as "Business As Usual".
Work is held back by fekkin' manglement
We occasionally take on interns, who work a couple of hours per week to do lab work.
Manglement thinks that they do not need to be provided a company email-account, because of the few hours they work. So the poor sods are forced to fall back onto their private or university email accounts if the need to communicate.
One would think feudalism ended somewhere way back in time, but not in corporate's mind. There it is going strong. What a pubic display of feces.
Misalignment
"...although digital transformation initiatives are stalling due to a lack of digital talent, enterprises are becoming increasingly out of touch with what their employees need to fill the skills gap"
In my experience there is no lack of digital talent, there IS a lack of digital talent willing to take on the roles offered at the rates offered. If you want an experienced techie onsite or 'near-remote', and are willing to pay the local going rates there are plenty of people available. If you wish to take advantage of the remote working revolution and hire someone 100% remote halfway around the globe, there are plenty of freelancers available who are a damn sight cheaper than an outsourcing body-factory (and quite likely as good or better technically).
If companies want to cut costs, the place to start is having multiple middle management layers full of paper-pushers vying for their fiefdoms and with stronger allegiance to their department than to the company as a whole. I've worked in places where there were 7 to 11 layers between CEO and most junior employees, for an organisation of just over 5k people - absolute nuts!!