7 common IT training mistakes to avoid

5. Instructional irrelevance

IT leaders tend to believe that most staff members understand training’s importance and how it relates to their job, says Orla Daly, CIO at educational technology firm Skillsoft. Yet that’s frequently not true.

IT pros want training relevancy, Daly says. If team members don’t understand why a specific training program or session is necessary, they probably won’t recognize its value. Focusing on topics that are relevant to their job, and may possibly lead to career advancement, will motivate staffers and make them eager to learn.

When lacking context on training’s value, team members are likely to dismiss training as an unnecessary chore. “They either won’t make time for it or will go through the motions without digesting or retaining any of the key messages or insights,” Daly explains. “This not only defeats the purpose of the intended training, but can lead to frustration and disengagement among teams.” IT professionals crave growth and professional development. “If they’re not seeing the value in their current training programs, they may lose motivation or even consider changing jobs.”

Building training relevancy requires IT leaders to recognize and demolish training barriers, such as course sessions that conflict with team members’ hectic work schedules or intruding on their personal time. “It also means connecting training to professional development and career growth,” Daly says.

Leadership development and power-skills training are frequently unfortunate afterthoughts, Daly states. “By showing employees how training can help them achieve their own career goals — in addition to supporting the needs of the business — IT leaders will see greater productivity and engagement from their team members.”

6. Cutting corners

Team education should never be regarded as an afterthought, so training programs should be allocated appropriate resources in terms of money, time, and trainers, says Randall Trzeciak, director of the Masters of Science Information Security Policy and Management program at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Don’t allow resource limitations to deny training to all relevant IT staff members, including secondary support staff,” he advises.

Unlike fine wines or blue jeans, training programs don’t age well. “Make sure that IT skills are keeping pace with change,” Trzeciak recommends. “Ensure there’s an ability to measure training effectiveness during and after the training program’s completion.”

7. Treating training as a discrete entity

Perhaps the best and most effective training approach is educating team members without them even realizing it, BARR Advisory’s Ryan says. Besides providing conventional formal training, a growing number of organizations are making training an integral part of each team member’s everyday work-life.

Ryan points to security training as an example. “This means sending out periodic reminders to employees, conducting regular phishing awareness and reporting exercises, and incentivizing employees to improve by gamifying the learning experience.”