Tech training ensures IT truly helps your business

The key role that Information Technology plays in any business today demands that staff be properly trained on new or upgraded systems. ElastaLink is a firm believer in training and has partnered to provide top-level training on a range of services and devices including our leading enterprise-grade routers. We also offer Level 2 & 3 support.

Yes, training costs money and time but NOT providing training can take a serious toll on a business. The new reality is that every employee must constantly be learning if they hope to stay current. Every business should maximize its internal technical staff by keeping them up to date on changes in technology and a firm will save money if it doesn’t need to outsource in order to gain the required technical knowledge.

TOP 10 REASONS TO PROVIDE TECH TRAINING

  1. Staff who can’t properly use a system will be less efficient, less motivated and may well leave the firm. That forces an expensive investment of time and money to recruit hard-to-find new employees.
  2. Training reduces confusion and mistakes with the new equipment.
  3. Trained employees can teach other staff using an in-house training program.
  4. Training ensures that staff are able to take full advantage of new features and keeps them on top of rapidly changing technologies.
  5. Training reduces unnecessary work for IT staff, since employees can solve minor problems themselves.
  6. Training makes staff feel valued and empowered.
  7. Job satisfaction levels rise with training.
  8. A better-trained staff helps the company remain competitive.
  9. Increased capability to handle new tasks and processes that can make the company more profitable.
  10. Getting the most out of technology means the company gets the most out of its original investment.

A TRAINING COURSE CASE STUDY

A good example of the value of tech training is a course on networking equipment that is used in any office. That is, the router, switches and access points, equipment that connects your employees to the Internet and thereby your customers. ElastaLink has partnered with Telecommunications Alain Casault of Montreal to offer router courses both in Montreal and Ottawa. Casault, seen in the photo, is standing in front of a class of students. He is a Certified MikroTik Network Associate, a routing engineer, a wireless engineer, and a certified trainer. His training extends into areas such as firewalls, TCP/IP and networking. He is also a telecommunications consultant.

Mikrotik Training

At a recent course at the Ottawa offices of ElastaLink, students included Rob Butler from ElastaLink, two technicians, Mario Leblond and Yvelino Chery, who both work for a municipal government and Matthew Hunt who came from Bellingham in Washington state where he works for Lummi Nation College. They all use the MikroTik or MacroTick routers every day.

The reasons they want to take a training course are very common. Butler says you may know what you want to do but the routers are powerful and complex and the course gives you new ways to make them perform. Chery says he wanted to take the course to expand his knowledge while Hunt says the router is well designed and makes sense but it’s good to get a detailed course on how things are done. Leblond says he is new to the router and his priority was to learn troubleshooting techniques and expand his overall knowledge.

Casault says more than four years as a tech teacher has convinced him of the clear benefits of any level of tech training. He says it makes “a huge difference and helps people break through the wall that blocks their progress.” He adds tech training is “crucial if people want to advance their careers”. For the employer, Casault says training produces more knowledgeable staff who can deliver projects faster and in-house training helps new staff get up to speed faster.

CHANGES IN HOW TO TRAIN EMPLOYEES

Be aware that training techniques are changing. Influenced by millennial workers, with their social media skills and quick, right-now learning methods, many large firms such as Amazon and Google are moving away from classroom-style teaching to online and just-in-time learning. A manager can teach something new exactly when the worker needs to learn the new skill. After the job is done, the manager can offer a critique.

Virtual or online classes allow an employee to learn at their own pace, when and where they want on whatever device they choose. Blended learning can involve a variety of learning techniques and ubiquitous learning is available anytime and includes daily tasks. An employer needs to determine an employee’s skill level and then choose the style of learning that will be most effective and cost-effective for the firm.

ELASTALINK TRAINING ADVICE

ElastaLink offers many training options for our clients aimed at IT staff and IT administrators. And yes, we do train our own staff. Here, Dan Lajeunesse works with ElastaLink staff, including some new hires, on the many facets of the MacroTick router.

Mikrotik Training

Our focus is always on practical knowledge that solves the kind of day-to-day issues faced in business. Many other training programs have a very narrow focus on a particular device or application while ElastaLink finds that our clients often want a broader approach that teaches practical skills and expands their knowledge base so that they can be more effective at tackling a range of devices and systems.

If your company is considering a major training program please contact ElastaLink or send us a message. We would be pleased to provide you with information on government programs that may well provide you with some funding assistance, depending on exactly what training you plan to do and who will receive that training.

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