Andy Poulton from Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire, examines the importance of investing in IT skills to help your business remain competitive, and outlines how to implement an effective IT training plan.

As technology continues to help businesses work in new and innovative ways, more businesses are realising the huge benefits that implementing even the simplest of technology systems can bring. However to get a real return on your investment and to increase efficiency and productivity, your staff will need the necessary skills to use the technology efficiently and effectively and thus improve productivity.

Competitive edge
The right training and skills will help to ensure that your organisation can respond and adapt to changes in business needs or market conditions. With technology now an integral part of most businesses, this is particularly pertinent and correct training ensures that your business is investing in its most important resources and helping them to do their job to the maximum of their potential.

Well-trained staff are not only more likely to encourage developing existing systems and implementing more sophisticated ones, they are also more likely to adopt the new skills required, faster. Thus ensuring that your business continues to grow. A good level of IT literacy will also enable staff to perform better in other areas of their work- reduce administration and improve quality of work, which will ultimately lead to improved customer satisfaction.

To facilitate this and provide your employees with the necessary skills, invest in IT training. Here are some simple steps to help you adapt the training to suit your needs:

Identify training gaps:
* Carry out a skills or gaps audits or training needs analysis.
* If you use external training providers look for those that offer bespoke solutions to ensure your business and employee training needs are fully met.
* Identify the financial investment needed and commit to it.
* Get employee buy-in and introduce personal development plans to help focus on long-term career progression.

Evaluate:
* Set training objectives to make sure you see real results
* Keep documentation in order to gain formal qualifications
* Create a written training plan
* Obtain feedback from employees and if appropriate, arrange for the individual to disseminate the information to others

And finally, refer back to your training and overall business objectives to get a more accurate, quantifiable idea of the impact training has had.