Do IT companies train their staff anymore?

RicardoSmith

Do IT companies train their staff anymore? Did an interview for a job recently (non IT) and they mentioned there was a few weeks training. I nearly fell of the chair. I've worked many years in IT and can count on one hand, the number of times an IT company has provided training of any sort. How do they expect people to maintain and develop a decent skillset if they don't provide training. Seems a very short sighted strategy. I was wondering what other peoples experiences have been.

damnyanks

Well not any real experience here but...

IT in most cases you have to be up to date more so then other areas. If they were to constantly train IT staff it would probably cost a lot more to train in new staff in administrative roles or whatever.

Also a lot of people who enjoy IT work usually like to keep up to date for one reason or another. So they'd probably have more people who do it themselves.

trunkyjo

I work in IT and I'm lucky cos I've had training albeit sporadically. Generally IT staff find it hard to get a budget for training because this department is non revenue earning and so any money being spent out is not recooped.

I'm a great believer in people looking after their own interests. If I felt I was lacking in a particular area and the Company wouldn't pay for it I would do it myself.

WhiteWashMan

i think unless you are going to be specifically tasked with a project of some kind, more often that not the answer is no.

or your training will be some bloke for an hour a week for two weeks, after which you will be a fully trained professional able to cover all situations.

on the other hand, this situation can be used to your own advantage. if you show youre willing to do your own study, charge books to the company of course, it makes you look like a real go-getter, and this can impress those important people above you.
its what i did

PhilH

I have attended a few training courses over the years, but they are few and far between and always to do with technology that the company was about to use for a big project (which is fair enough, I suppose - can't expect them to spend money just to keep me amused).

However, the reason I'm not particularly fussed about the lack of training in IT is this - pretty much all of the courses I've been on were terrible. Really, really bad. Generally they are given by someone who can follow through (most of) the course material but knows nothing else.

I remember the worst was a Java training course. I had spent the previous fortnight with a complier and the Java In A Nutshell book, fecking about. By the time the course started I knew more than the instructor. Not just a little more, I mean I could sh*t all over him. I have no experience since which suggests that two weeks, a book, and some freedom to play with a technology doesn't far outweigh a training course.

Manach

Whilst there is training courses at the Co. I'm working with, they are very focused on skills for the job at hand. Their view is if a new interesting tech. comes along, it is up to yourself to gauge it.

RicardoSmith

Most of the places I've worked as an employee have been very keen un unpaid overtime, and lots of it. Its very hard to find time to learn new stuff in that kind of an enviroment. Even if the company is willing to pay for some of the costs. MY expereince is that most aren't. Whereas working as a contractor you rarely work outside normal hours and thus have a lot more time for learning new things, and to get the good contracts you need to keep working on your skillset. You'll probably fund it yourself and claim back the vat on such things.

But its ironic that lots of companies look for very expereinced people, but rarely train their existing staff.

Darren

The company I work for has consistently given me loads of training since I've been here. This has included official training courses with IBM, Amdahl and SUN. unofficial mentoring and secondments and the opportunity to attend user conferences and seminars in the US and Europe.

BTW, I'm no superstar, they treat us all in IT like this.

So, my answer is yes!

ToxicPaddy

any jobs going there

Tox

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by ToxicPaddy
any jobs going there

Tox

I meant to ask that too!

DublinWriter

Small to medium sized IT companies? Never.

Large corporations? Almost always, usually 2 to 4 weeks a year.

Hobbes

Originally posted by DublinWriter
Large corporations? Almost always, usually 2 to 4 weeks a year.

No not always. I work for a large corporation. Despite putting in my Development plan (you list out what you want), I have had no training assigned for over 6 years.

Everything I have had to go find training myself. Even this year the training they have given me is all self learning.

The only people I do know who have gone on the courses tend not to work on the stuff or treat it like a fecking holiday. I've had to train one person about something after they spent a week away on a course.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by DublinWriter
Small to medium sized IT companies? Never.

Large corporations? Almost always, usually 2 to 4 weeks a year.

Have to say my experience has been the opposite aswell.

Sleipnir

Too much training where I work, by far.

I support Checkpoint, Nokia, Trendmicro, Symantec, Websense and whole rake of other stuff.
It's impossible to keep up and I'm sick of training courses!

netman

Well, I work for a large IT company, and in my case it's always the underachievers who get sent on training courses, in some cases 6-7 training courses per year.

I simply train myself, keep in touch with the latest technologies, do a few nixers and keep the money coming until something better comes along.