Closing the Skills Gap With Technology and Telecom Training and L&D
The Technology & Telecom industry is undergoing a rapid transformation leading to an increased demand for innovation and connectivity across the globe. Emerging technologies such as AI, cloud and edge computing, cybersecurity, XaaS, and 5G are revolutionizing how we live, work, and communicate. As these technologies advance, there is a pressing need for specialized training to help professionals navigate this dynamic environment. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, half of the global workforce will require reskilling due to technological advancements. In just five years, more than two-thirds of today's essential skills will evolve.
Staying at the forefront of technological innovation demands a workforce that is continuously prepared for the next significant shift. Therefore, developing skills is crucial for success in the Technology and Telecom sectors. Leaders in Learning & Development (L&D) and talent management must implement strategies to build, borrow, and buy talent, ensuring a sustainable pipeline that can support both current and future initiatives.
Challenges for Learning Leaders in the Technology and Telecom Industry
- Macroeconomic & Global Uncertainty: The pandemic caused major disruptions in the technology & telecom industry, with inflation, rising energy costs, and the reaction to price rises impacting customer behavior. In addition, this is set against a backdrop of existing market challenges that are already testing the industry’s ability to deliver services, open new revenue streams, and return value to shareholders. Telecom operators need to find revenue growth and the promise of higher-volume and low-latency services, encouraging them to continue to invest in new technologies.
- Lack of Skilled Professionals: Technical skills are no longer enough for professionals. The uncertain business environment is making it critical for professionals to develop business, management, and soft skills as well. Now, more than ever, IT professionals need to understand technology from a business standpoint while also developing empathy, resilience, management, and leadership skills to navigate through these challenging times.
- Sustaining Continuous Innovation: The modern workforce is time-starved with little or no time for learning. This is even more heightened in IT workers tasked with ensuring business continuity, data security, and disaster management. Instead of training being a one-time activity, learning leaders must think of innovative strategies to help them continuously learn and build skills in the flow of work so that they are prepared to meet all challenges.
- Digital Transformation in Industries: Implementing digital transformation involves adopting complex, often disruptive technologies, and effective change management strategies to help employees adapt to new digital tools and processes. According to Gartner, 87% of senior business leaders say digitalization is a company priority, yet only 40% of organizations have brought digital initiatives to scale. Learning leaders must develop robust training programs that simplify the integration process, facilitate smooth transitions, and promote adaptability.
- Supply Chain Disruptions: With delays in sourcing new equipment and increasing costs, there is high damage to new business pipelines, revenue, network performance, and customer satisfaction. In response, learning leaders must prepare employees on contingency planning, risk management strategies, and alternative sourcing methods while also building resilience and agility in their supply chains to mitigate such impacts.
- Talent Wars and Competitive Advantage: Amid the 'Great Resignation' and 'Great Reshuffle' organizations are finding new ways to adapt to change. This has been compounded by “back to work” and hybrid workplace challenges. Attracting and retaining IT talent, especially when there is high demand for certain technologies, is critical. Learning leaders must be at the forefront of employee experience with engaging learning and skill-building strategies.
NIIT’s Specialized L&D Services for Technology and Telecom Companies
In a hyper-evolved, XaaS technology landscape that is always on the lookout for the next big thing, NIIT recognizes the need to ensure that your workforce is regularly upskilled and reskilled to meet any challenge that your business may throw at you. Whether it is transitioning to newer technologies, increasing your subscriber base, or an imminent talent crunch, NIIT helps deliver specialized services for the Technology & Telecom industry, including
Managed Learning Operations: Our comprehensive suite of Managed Learning Services delivers value on both sides of the L&D value equation for technology companies. On the one hand, we help you align L&D goals with business goals to deliver tangible business impact. On the other, we help you maximize L&D effectiveness and efficiency. Whether it is large-scale learning operations including administration, demand planning, vendor management, or strategic sourcing, our services are designed to work with the complexities of your industry. When it comes to large-scale learning operations, our goal is to provide you with a dedicated team that does all the heavy lifting so that your internal L&D teams can focus on strategic objectives and outcomes.
Customized Content Solutions: NIIT is one of the largest and most capable providers of custom content in the world. Our customized solutions cover all modalities and levels of learning. Whether it is practice-focused digital and IT training or advanced technology and telecom program rollouts, we build customized learning solutions that are aligned with business outcomes. Our custom content solutions have enabled technology and telecom companies to deliver tangible outcomes like improved DevOps productivity, overcome challenges on a global scale, optimize budgets through smart demand planning, upskilling your workforce with reduced time to competence, and more engaging leadership training.
Dedicated Consultants and Transformation Offices: We know that learning transformation is not a one-and-done activity, especially in a space that is going through large-scale and widespread transitions. Our dedicated team of embedded consultants and learning professionals is laser-focused on your journey of transformation. Whether it is advanced analytics and data insights through our Customer Experience Platform or focused strategic objectives, we partner with you to create and implement a detailed transformation roadmap aligned with your business goals.
Case Study: 365% ROI on Training Over Three Years for the World’s Largest Open-Source Provider
Challenge: Our customer is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open-source software solutions. They were challenged with providing high-quality education and ensuring a consistent learning experience for a vast, globally distributed customer base. This encompassed managing high-volume operations while guaranteeing margins and enhancing profitability.
Solution: In partnership with our customer, NIIT offered end-to-end managed training services comprising training content design, training delivery, training administration, support, hosting and management of technical labs, and advisory services. NIIT provided these services through a globally distributed team of learning professionals across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Through strategic forecasting, NIIT optimized course offerings to enhance profitability.
Result: NIIT has delivered 6,500+ training events annually for 27,000 students across 80 cities in 3 continents in 7 languages. The training programs resulted in significant ROI and productivity gains, including a 365% ROI over three years and increased productivity for DevOps teams and new hires.
Download the case study to learn more.
Outsource Your Technology & Telecom Training & Learning to NIIT
The future of the Technology and Telecom industry hinges on strategic investment in training and L&D. To close the skills gap, industry leaders and L&D professionals must prioritize comprehensive training programs that align with the evolving needs of these sectors.
As a company rooted in technology training, we understand what it takes to prepare your technology and telecom workforce with the skills they need for today and tomorrow. At NIIT, we’ve helped many technology & telecom companies align L&D with business priorities to deliver tangible business impact. Explore how our managed learning services can drive the success of your technology & telecom industry.