As technology changes and develops at an ever-increasing pace, more and more companies are finding that keeping their IT people well educated is a good investment all the way around. Comprehensive training programs not only allow employees to soak in new programming languages and the latest IT management lessons, they also entice employees to stay put - a boon in today's employment marketplace, where talented IT people are worth their weight in platinum. In a recent Watson Wyatt survey, learning new skills was ranked third by employees who were asked what noncompensation rewards would retain them, after opportunities for advancement and job redesign. When respondents were asked what would lure them away, better training and career development ranked second, after more compensation. Just as rewards and job design are starting to become more individualized, training methods are also taking on a personalized look.
Some employees still prefer books, but they're in the minority as distributed learning catches fire.
Its flexibility is a boon to employers and employees alike and that's helping to turn it into a very big business. A study conducted by the American Society of Training and Development concluded that technical skills need updating every four years. Although that accounts for only 12 percent of the total IT training market, IDC predicts that by 2003, e-learning will dwarf all other learning methods and capture 80 percent of the training market. Dave Eagan, chief evangelist at TrainingNet, says the hefty education price tag is necessary for keeping techies on the bleeding edge of technology - as well as just for keeping them, period. One thing they expect from an organization is not only the opportunity to learn by doing, but to expand their knowledge by training.