Why Don't Businesses Train IT Workers?
Gary Perman's recent piece, "Why Companies Don't Train IT Workers," delves into the obstacles businesses and their employees run into when proper, in-depth training is promised, but never delivered.
As Perman points out, the primary reasons IT folks leave their jobs is because they are lured in with the promise of being groomed to move up the ladder but never given that training.
A few readers chimed in with their thoughts on why that happens.
One reader, "Constant Gardner," starts with an interesting analogy:
Not that I like how this characterizes myself and my peers, but think of it this way: There are lots of benefits to tending and nurturing your own vegetable garden, yet most of us end up going to the supermarket because it is convenient. Especially since when you tend your own garden you're likely to become your neighbors 'supermarket'.
He concludes by saying that the breakdown in promised training and actual delivery of it stems from businesses fearing that one of their competitors will reap the rewards. In other words, train a worker, and he/she will likely bolt once they have the ticket punched. An anonymous reader agreed.
Another reader said a problem emerges when someone is promised a bigger job, only to be passed over for an outside candidate.
And yet another says that the trainee can become a threat to the incumbent. Once the subordinate starts learning the tricks of the trade, he/she can make the boss expendible.
All of those are extremely reasonable arguments. So tell us, what are you seeing at your company? Why do businesses back away from training IT pros?