A skills gap can be defined as the difference between existing and desired skill levels. Currently, there is a staggering IT skills gap, and it is affecting organizations across every industry.
Technology is essential to the success of organizations, but few organizational leaders are satisfied with how it is being leveraged within their companies. CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2023 found that 64% of companies plan to use internal training to close technical skill gaps this year, leading other options such as new hiring by a wide margin.
Supporting the notion that while some organizations see the value in upskilling and reskilling their current staff to fill in-demand tech positions, for many organizations, opportunity lies in training existing staff to fill in-demand tech job roles.
Is your organization where you want it to be with IT skills? If not, providing both IT and non-IT employees with continuous learning opportunities, including certifications, can be a game changer.
Why IT Training Improves the Rate of Employee Retention
One of the most damaging consequences of having an IT skills gap is poor employee retention. For organizations, low employee retention has a high cost.
In 2022, an article by LinkedIn explained that 48% of all U.S. hiring managers reported increased staff attrition. It also stated staff turnover costs each company $57,150 annually, and 23% of companies experience a loss of at least $100,000 due to staff churn yearly.
Staff turnover doesn’t just affect organizations; it also impacts workers. Frequent turnover burdens remaining employees with the tasks departed employees were once responsible for. It also lowers employee morale and negatively impacts company culture. This can lead to higher employee turnover and create a vicious cycle.
Thankfully, IT training can boost rates of staff retention. According to 35 Key Employee Training and Development Statistics, organizations with solid learning cultures increase their retention rates by 30 to 50%. Per the article, here’s why:
- 45% of employees say they’d stay with a company longer that made their professional development a priority
- 92% of workers say they are more engaged at work when their employer offers employee training
- 76% of employees are actively seeking training opportunities
In other words, IT training lowers staff churn because it gives employees what they want: Ongoing learning and development.
Offering IT professionals tech training is valuable. Investing in CompTIA certifications, for example, delivers many benefits to both organizations and employees.
How Investing in CompTIA Certifications Benefits Organizations and IT Workers
Providing IT professionals with targeted training and CompTIA certifications can boost your organization’s rate of employee retention and job satisfaction, but that’s not all. The benefits of getting employees CompTIA certified go beyond. They affect organizations as well as employees. Additional benefits of investing in CompTIA certifications include, but are not limited to:
- Improving employee loyalty. Offering employees the opportunity to get CompTIA certified can make them feel valued and invested in. This naturally leads to increased loyalty and commitment to their organizations.
- Upskilling employees. The main objective of getting employees CompTIA certified is to increase their skill level. In doing so, the IT skills gap narrows, staff turnover is reduced, employee job satisfaction is increases and money is saved.
- Keeping IT professionals aware of tech trends. Trends in IT change rapidly. CompTIA certifications help IT pros stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and best practices. And when IT employees are aware of current tech trends, so are the organizations they work for.
- Promoting cost savings. Because they can increase staff retention by improving job satisfaction rates, CompTIA certifications promote cost savings. For example, organizations that choose to get employees CompTIA certified can expect less frequent recruitment and onboarding costs. Organizational leaders can also expect to recruit from within more frequently, which augments the cost-saving effect of prioritizing IT training through certification. Moreover, organizations that offer employee training programs, which can be inclusive of certifications, experience a 24% higher profit margin.
Additionally, closing the IT skills gap by getting tech employees CompTIA certified improves cybersecurity, boosts staff productivity and improves customer service and engagement. It also promotes innovation and new product development and speeds time-to-market for new services and products.
All these benefits equal an excellent return on investment for CompTIA certifications and other forms of IT training.
Close the IT Skills Gap With CompTIA’s Custom Training Solutions
An IT skills gap of any size can cause problems for an organization. It often drives up costs by promoting staff attrition, contributes to employee jobs dissatisfaction and increases the amount of hiring and onboarding a company must do. With CompTIA’s custom training solutions for employers, organizational leaders can close the IT skills gap and minimize the issues it causes.
It is vital that organizations keep up with the changing security landscape and fast pace of technological advancements. By partnering with CompTIA to deliver IT training to employees, organizations can accomplish this. Utilizing CompTIA’s custom training solutions also helps employers:
- Ensure IT staff possesses the skills and certifications they need to do their jobs
- Broaden employee skill sets
- Reduce cybersecurity risks
- Improve employee productivity
- Boost staff morale and retention
- Ensure compliance with federal directives
- Grow IT talent and promote from within
- Improve the customer experience
Organizations that use CompTIA’s custom solutions can also help IT workers advance their careers by building additional professional skills in data analytics and project management.
Ready to close your organization’s IT skills gap for good? Request information about CompTIA’s custom training solutions for employers.
