* Survey results show project management abilities are next in need of honing
Many CIOs believe their IT staff could stand to enhance their technical expertise. A new survey from staffing firm Robert Half Technology shows 25% of CIOs identified technical skills as the area in which their workers could most use improvement.
The survey is based on responses from 1,400 CIOs with U.S. companies of at least 100 employees. The results show project management abilities are next in need of honing, with 23% of IT executives identifying that category. Another 15% would prefer to boost their IT pros’ verbal and written communication skills, with 14% choosing to improve workers’ organizational skills. Next, 12% identify interpersonal skills as being most in need of improvement. In good news, 3% of respondents like their staff just the way it is, saying no improvements are needed. And last, 8% either didn’t know or chose a different reason.
“While it’s ultimately up to the individual to keep his or her technical abilities current, the best employers invest in ongoing professional development for employees at all levels,” says Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Professional development programs also can aid a company’s recruitment and retention efforts. In today’s competitive IT hiring market, employees want to work for firms that encourage them to build new skills and assume more challenging responsibilities.”
