IT talent: challenges for training high-demand professionals

In a context of rapid technological evolution, characterized by exponential growth in data processing, Vocational training is one of the main challenges facing the technology industry.

We are living in a scenario with a demand for IT talent greater than the available supply, which often requires hiring young people with little experience and training them, or retraining people who are already working within the organization so that they acquire new skills.

Current market dynamics mean that not only must the business identify the skills it needs today, but also those it will require in the near future. 

In addition, it is necessary to balance technical training with the incorporation of other life skills (soft skills), which allow the development of -among others- adaptation and problem-solving capabilities.

In turn, IT talent must be aligned with the business strategy and goals of each organization, depending on the ecosystem in which they operate.

In this article we analyze what it means to train talent for the IT industry, how to carry out candidate scouting or selection, and what are the challenges involved in professional reskilling. 

We also explain how the learning curve can be reduced through mentoring and how we develop talent in IT Patagonia.

Continuing education: the antidote to talent shortage 

According to the portal Infojobs, recruiting IT profiles is one of the most difficult to carry out. And they reveal that positions in the technology sector have not stopped being on the list of categories with the most vacancies in the last decade.

Faced with a shortage of IT talent, Continuous training becomes an essential strategy for organizations. The goal is to develop the skills required by the dynamics of the business, within the teams themselves.

In this way, it is possible to avoid relying exclusively on external recruitment. In addition, organizations can Closing critical skills gaps and aligning learning with their needs, and ensure that the talent trained is perfectly suited to their objectives.

Besides, Internal training improves job retentionPeople feel that their professional development is a priority for the company, which increases their commitment and motivation. 

In an environment of accelerated digital transformation, have updated equipment Improves the competitiveness of each organization and increases its capacity for adaptation and response.

What does it mean to train talent for the IT industry? 

“Training talent for the IT industry does not only involve developing expert knowledge in a particular area, such as a programming language, mainframe management, or UX/UI. Above all, it involves training people to help them develop their best personal talent and be successful in their job placement,” he explains. Belen Soba Red, academic director of Codeki.

It also involves supporting digital transformation processes, generating the talent that organizations need and the professional growth opportunities that people seek.

Among other essential skills for development in a work environment, IT talent training should encourage self-management, personal initiative, self-regulation of time, teamwork and creative problem solving. 

In addition, it is important to focus on critical thinking, effective communication and the ability to adapt.

Likewise, training efforts must be accompanied by a clear understanding of the organization's strategies, customer needs, market trends and industry challenges.

How to scout or select candidates?

The search and selection processes of organizations that decide to invest in talent development address the cultural match of those who aspire to a job position. That is, the alignment of each person's values, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes with the corporate culture.

When looking for future talent, it is also necessary to take into account gender, territorial and age diversity, among others. 

A good cultural match and the formation of inclusive teams ensure a smooth integration, greater commitment, job satisfaction and better results.

“The first thing is to take into account the profile that is needed, according to the technology mapping that the organization requires to achieve its objectives. From there, you have to see what skills it is good for the candidates to have to ensure that they are ready for those learnings,” says Belén. 

It is not about determining “what they already know”, but What is your true potential to learn what you have set out to do?, he concludes.

Reducing the learning curve through mentoring

Consulting a mentor who focuses on accompanying new talent is often beneficial, because it allows leaders to reduce the time they must allocate to these additions. 

The implementation times of the acquired knowledge are also optimized.

Belén explains that Mentoring is another form of learning, on the job, in which the learning context is the area of work development, and the proposals are the real cases that the person must solve.

Leonardo Zrycki, trainer and mentor at Codeki, says that “the mentoring process allows us to steepen the technical and functional learning curve, and It aims to ensure that trained individuals become high-performance professionals within a period of two years.”. 

“The training plan is designed to improve the learning curve in multiple dimensions: programming, requirements analysis, teamwork, and development of research tasks, among other issues,” he adds.

The mentor's task lies in accompany the person to overcome the obstacles inherent in starting an activity, which may consist of technical questions, or determining how to approach an issue to be resolved, among other situations. 

Sometimes it's simply about developing the emotional reassurance of knowing you're moving in the right direction. 

Throughout our experience we have found that this aspect is very important, because in the process of job insertion, the fear of making mistakes is often the worst enemy of personal development. 

In these types of instances, The accompaniment of an expert is necessary to generate a threat-free learning situation..

In addition, mentoring is critical to accelerate the learning curve of IT talent, in aspects such as:

• technical needs and/or difficulties
• Analysis of the requirements and tasks received
• business specific knowledge
• teamwork
• communication skills

What are the most common forms of IT talent mentoring?

By providing direct, practical, personalized guidance, mentoring enables people to adapt more quickly and be productive in less time.

The most common forms of mentoring include:

1. Mentors can adapt their teachings to the needs and level of experience of each person, focusing on the key areas where you need to improve or learn. 

This way, you avoid wasting time acquiring knowledge that you already have or overcoming obstacles without guidance.

2. Mentoring provides Direct access to practical experience and tacit knowledge that mentors have accumulated in their careers. 

This allows you to learn not only technical skills, but also best practices and shortcuts that can make a person more efficient in their role.

3. An experienced mentor can Guiding new professionals in making complex decisions, helping them understand how to identify problems, prioritize tasks, and solve challenges. 

This reduces errors and speeds up adaptation to the work environment.

4. Mentoring facilitates technical learning, soft skills acquisition and cultural understanding of the organization.

What challenges does professional reskilling entail?

Within organizations, reskilling opens up new opportunities for the people who are part of them, generating motivation and permanence. 

It also provides the opportunity to capitalize on knowledge of organizational culture.

Their biggest challenge is that Most of the time, reskilling is not sought, but rather arises as a response to a work-related adversity or some personal frustration., which activates the need for a professional reconfiguration.

The most important thing is to know the true motivation that drives IT talent to seek retraining. From there, strategies must be designed to support them appropriately.

Once this initial stage has been overcome, it is necessary to establish which are:

• the skills you already bring from your previous experience.
• new learning challenges.
• the required training proposals.

A challenge that must sustain the motivation to learn and embrace change to achieve the expected performance results.

It is essential Recognizing reskilling as a source of future talent, with the particularity that the professionals who are retrained have a high level of knowledge of the industry in which they work. Without a doubt, a very valuable starting point.

How do we develop talent at IT Patagonia?

For more than 35 years, we have been dedicated to developing IT talent and Form teams specialized in the technologies that the industry needs.

With our experience, we developed a working methodology that includes four key phases:

• Survey: technical and soft aspects of the profile that needs to be filled are analyzed, as well as knowledge of the company's organizational culture in relation to that position.
• Feasibility: the match between the ideal profile and the offer available on the market is evaluated, with the support of experts.
• Investigation: We involve the best methods, tools and platforms of specialized hunters.
• Match: We determine the ideal technical profile, including a description of the soft skills we need for the position, with special emphasis on orientation towards change. 

Through this methodology, we have already More than a thousand people trained by more than 25 teachers and mentors, and we teach more than 15 technological specialization courses. 

Always from a gender perspective and in alliance with other organizations.

What does the IT Patagonia and Codeki training service consist of?

Our training service focuses on facilitating people's access to their first IT job. 

We attract talent motivated to enter the IT world and train them in the skills that the labor market requires..

These courses are generally aimed at young people who are taking their first professional steps, and also at people from the silver generation who want to transform their career path.

In addition, we train professionals with experience in programming who are interested in reconfiguring their skills.

Our people-focused culture of innovation and sustainability creates an attractive environment that retains and motivates our specialists, and ensures success and continuity in our projects.

To meet the objectives of promoting the development of IT talent and the industry at a regional and global level, the training service that we provide from IT Patagonia together with our partner Codeki, has three phases:

1) In a first stage of scouting We evaluate the technical aspects and soft skills of each candidate to match the needs of the organizations.

2) Based on this survey, we begin the training phase of Reskilling and upskilling, which provides intensive training so that people acquire the necessary skills demanded by today's market, in a short time. 

3) The third stage focuses on the mentoring. Each person's development is supported by mentoring by professionals with extensive experience, until they reach the expected seniority.

Our practical approach ensures that you acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are essential for real-world work environments. 

The results obtained fill us with pride:

• +1500 training scholarships (21% for women)
• +400 jobs created (43% for women)
• +250 first jobs (41% of women)
• +400 people mentored

Conclusion

The future of IT talent training is marked by constant adaptation to new technologies and market trends, driven by the digital transformation and increasing automation. 

Traditional teaching methodologies are giving way to more agile and personalized approaches, such as the one we are implementing at IT Patagonia and Codeki, which allow professionals to acquire specific skills in less time. 

Especially in segments where the availability of professionals is much lower than the demand, as is the case with experts in Mainframe and Cobol.

In this context, organizations play a crucial role when adopting reskilling and upskilling programs to ensure that their workforce can adapt quickly to technological changes and market demands. 

Are you interested in learning more about our IT talent training service? Contact us and let's talk.