IT TRAINING IT is refers to information technology and it describes the movement of information along various technologies. We are currently in the information age and it plays a major role during these times. It is thus important to educate and train people on the importance of IT and how it can be useful in society IT training refers to using centralized and desktop information systems to provide technical training in areas such as system infrastructure software, application ... www.syberworks.com/glossary/i/i1.htm. The developed countries have taken on IT as a major factor in development and because of this IT training is very much emphasized in companies. In 2006 British Airways' chief information officer said businesses should prioritise teaching staff to understand the importance of technology. Paul Coby, who chairs the IT board of e-Skills UK, commented that offshore outsourcing did not mean senior managers did not have to worry about making sure their staff were properly trained. Mr Coby even suggested that universities should provide IT courses with every degree in order to ensure that every worker was fully computer-literate. "One of the things I am very keen on is that if you want to operate in a FTSE 500 company, you ought to understand technology," Mr Coby remarked. "It does not mean that you need to understand technical software programs, but you do need to understand how to use IT." British Airways aims to provide each of its staff with eight days of training each year, having reported skills shortages for its project managers. www.uknews.com IT training is very vital in schools and helps students stay ahead in information development. Rather than the conventional classroom and instructor or professor setting, computer based training, for example change management tools involves learning using software applications installed in computers. The person is, in effect, trained by the computer. Oftentimes, this method of learning can be much more effective than the practice of teaching and learning in classrooms because the student, if working alone, can set his or her own speed of learning.
As such, the student that is a quick learner can forge ahead at a pace that an average student would not be able to handle. On the other hand, for those that take a little more time than the average student to process and learn new information, computer based training would be ideal, as they can go at their own stride, not fall behind and not keep any other students behind schedule. A common example of this type of computer training would be the following: A person would like to learn how to use image editing software program so they purchase the computer based training for that specific software application. They also purchase the actual software that they would like to become familiar with. While they are being trained with the computer assisted instruction, they can simultaneously verify and put into practice all that they learn in the training, since they have the target software on-hand. The advantage of this kind of system is that all of the information is right there at their desktop in one place versus going to a class, having time lapse before they can get access to a computer. In the past, computer based training was not as easily accessible or viable for businesses as it required a prodigious amount of hardware and software, items that were much more exorbitant in price than today. Nowadays, nearly everyone has access to a personal computer at home, at work or at computer labs in schools or libraries. This kind of access to computers has helped to see an increase in the use of computer courses programs, as well as a growth in the computer based training industry. In sub Saharan Africa IT training is still on a very low scale and in very many areas it is almost non existent. This could be the reason as to why these areas are left behind in this information age. Ignorance is exactly what is killing people in these African countries and letting them stay in poverty for the rest of their lives. Utilization of IT training is some thing which the people in these African countries have not yet embraced. It is for this reason that businesses in these areas grow at a very slow pace because they can not pick up with the competition with those businesses in the western countries. The relevancies of IT training today are evident and business prosperity is one of them. Organisations taking on IT training enjoy the following advantages Productivity – IT Training and Development helps in increasing the productivity of the employees that helps the organization further to achieve its long-term goal. IT Training and Development aids in organizational development i.e. Organization gets more effective decision making and problem solving. It helps in understanding and carrying out organisational policies
Quality – IT Training and Development helps in improving upon the quality of work and work-life of the employees and the organization as a whole