Training I.T. workers isn’t easy—rapid technological change, cost and the economy are among the barriers to effective training programs, the U.S. General Accounting Office found in a recent study of large companies’ programs. The GAO identified six best practices for delivering IT training.
1 Provide IT trainees with the flexibility to choose among different IT training delivery methods.
2 Ensure that on-the-job training is planned and monitored as part of the training process.
3 Consider combining different teaching methods (Web-based and instructor-led) within the same course.
4 Provide just-in-time training.
5 Consider outsourcing training solutions—university partnerships and external IT training and content providers.
6 Build courses using reusable components.
Source: “Information Technology Training: Practices of Leading Private-Sector Companies,” a GAO Report, January 2003
