ICT skill dearth: Innovative tactics for CIOs and HR directors to explore

By Alexander Chiejina

In recent times, the demand for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills such as data science (including data analytics), cloud computing, software engineering, machine learning, and cybersecurity has been on the rise across the globe, including Nigeria. This is witnessed in several institutions such as the financial services (which appears to be most affected), FMCGs, and lots more, seeing their IT employees with these invaluable skills resign and leave for greener pastures in other climes such as Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, and lots more.

Whilst many enterprises continue to grapple with significant skills gaps in their IT unit, the quest to hire, retain and develop talented professionals has become a daunting imperative for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) of many organisations in Nigeria. As the tech industry continues to evolve, it may become a herculean task to hire, train or reskill people fast enough to keep pace with organisation’s business emerging needs.

Sonia Tshabalala, regional people director, Sage AMEA, revealed that innovative ways CIOs and HR directors can address their skills gaps in their organisations is to conduct ongoing skills audits, embrace innovative strategies and tactics, including nurture a culture of continuous learning, and lots more.

Tshabalala maintained that by conducting regular skills audits of skills that organisations have on-call, skills they lack, and skills they will need in the future, CIOs and HR directors will be able to understand which skills are available and create a viable training pathway for each employee to build the skills they will need.

“Formal training and certification are not enough to keep up with the demands of future skills and fast-changing IT trends. Forward-thinking CIOs will supplement traditional training programmes with strategies such as microlearning, internal job mobility, peer-to-peer learning, mentoring, and coaching to upskill and reskill their teams. Letting people get their hands dirty with new technologies and experiment with new ideas can also pay off in the longer run.

“One of the keys to remaining future-ready is to have a culture that encourages people to continue learning and developing their skills. CIOs should foster an environment of continuous learning, enabling their people to constantly upgrade their skills and create a culture where learning is aligned with business goals and individual goals within the business,” Tshabalala explained.

Business A.M. discovered that several organisations today design personalised training and development programmes for their teams which aligns with business needs, employees’ strengths, interests, and career goals. A self-directed and personalised approach gives the employee more room in developing their career, in turn, improving employee engagement and retention.

While looking beyond technical skills and certifications towards building business acumen in their teams is key, hiring people from diverse backgrounds creates depth in the IT function, which includes considering some professionals from finance, HR or marketing to gain a more complete view on digital transformation. A learning and growth mindset will help people navigate an ever-evolving world.