What Is Corporate IT Training and How Does It Differ from Technical Training

Whether you know it as corporate IT training or corporate technical training, there’s a huge difference between it and technical training in general. We’ll get into those details soon enough.

If you’ve been in a corporate environment for even a day, you know technology is an integral part of the office. From customer service departments to executive offices, it’s rare to see a desk without a computer perched front and center or at least close at hand.

With the pace of modern innovation, companies need to establish an agile and efficient IT system that can move quickly and help the business compete in today’s global market. The ever-evolving complexities in the digital world and beyond mean companies must ensure that all employees understand their technology and how to use it properly for their jobs.

Otherwise, innovations in IT are without purpose, right?

That’s why corporate IT Training (aka corporate technical training) is critical to any business’s success.

But what is corporate IT training?

What Is Corporate IT Training

Put simply, it’s a means of educating employees about the technical skills needed to do their job.

It covers everything from understanding the fundamentals of the company’s technical processes to using the software (especially custom or highly customized software) to keep the business running smoothly.

In addition to teaching how to use company technology, corporate IT training also focuses on security and compliance with technology.

In today’s world, cyber-security is one of the most important aspects of any business. Without it, employees are the weakest link for company security. All employees must be aware of the potential for phishing or psychological hacks, the most common way hackers get into corporate networks.

Or do not leave your company laptop sitting in the back of your car with the windows down!

The bottom line is that corporate IT training is invaluable for any business looking to stay competitive in the digital age. By providing employees with the knowledge and tools they need to use the company’s technology successfully, businesses can ensure that systems are used correctly, efficiently, and securely.

Corporate IT training ensures all employees know the technology they can access, what does what, and how to use it. It helps employees stay productive and efficient, and it can also help the business remain competitive in a rapidly changing world.

The Difference Between Corporate IT Training and Technical Training

Corporate IT training differs from technical training quite a bit. Technicians, programmers, engineers, and other IT professionals require specialized training to acquire technical skills. The focus of technical training is on learning the technical skill as the job itself rather than for another job.

So corporate IT training helps employees learn technology to do their jobs, while technical training helps them learn technology as their job. The company likely provides corporate IT training, whereas employees must seek technical training (degrees, technical schools, books, etc.).

And just in case that wasn’t clear, I’ll try to give you one more reason they’re different. Corporate IT training (aka corporate technical training) helps all employees use company technology. Technical training is career-oriented and focuses on teaching technical employees how to do technical jobs.

So, one would teach you how to perform job-related tasks using tools like Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Anaplan, etc. It could be a task such as creating a new client in the CRM, requesting time off, or documenting patient data. The other would teach you how to code, design websites, or set up databases.

Can you tell which is which?

The first is corporate IT training, and the second is technical training. One would come from custom digital training and the other from technical programs, schools, certifications, etc.

There are many different types of corporate IT training, though. Let’s take a deeper look at that.

Types of Corporate IT Training

Corporate IT training can be divided into many different ways. We’ll divide it into three main categories: basic training, advanced training, and security training.

Basic training covers the fundamentals of computers and software. That software is likely company-specific and relatively custom. Some companies like to have company-branded training that covers topics like using Microsoft Word, but that type of training can be off-the-shelf training.

Then there is basic training, which is a custom software training solution such as how to request time off or even clock in/out. Or it could be a little more complex and cover how to use a custom implementation of ServiceNow or iProcurement. We built a custom training solution to help employees procure products from outside vendors using a custom implementation of iProcurement from Oracle.

Advanced training involves teaching employees advanced skills, such as how a helpdesk technician remotely logs into an employee’s computer to troubleshoot. While helpdesk technicians might be skilled at helping employees with their computers, they might not know the exact software every company uses.

We also developed training that accomplished this. Since it was for a technical audience, we built the ability to test out into the course so they didn’t have to waste time on something they might already know.

Security training is focused on teaching employees the importance of cyber-security and how to protect the company from potential attacks. There are lots of different things that employees constantly need to be kept aware of to keep company systems secure, such as:

• Phishing awareness and strategies to deal with it.
• Password management.
• Making sure technology stays safe physically.
• How to transfer sensitive information security.
• Malware and virus protection.
• Social media awareness and safety.
• What and how to report any technical incident.

Most companies will have a blend of corporate IT training depending on their size, complexity, and dependence on technology. It also depends on the complexity of their IT infrastructure and the technological knowledge of their employees. Basic training may be enough for small businesses, while large companies may require more advanced training or a more complex blend.

The Benefits of Corporate IT Training

Corporate IT Training can bring a range of benefits to a company. Aside from making sure employees know about the technologies they need to use at work, well-trained employees always mean happier, more proficient, and better-informed employees.

When employees aren’t provided sufficient training, there’s a higher chance of turnover and unhappiness, making a miserable work environment. Want to know what happens? Check out this story about an employee who’s provided little to no training.

But then, all the benefits should make it a no-brainer that every time your organization deploys new technology, you also provide sufficient related training.

Benefits such as

• More productive and efficient employees who have a better understanding of the technology they have access to and how to use it to their advantage.
• Reduce the risk of cyber-attacks since employees are aware of the potential for cyber-attacks, how they happen, and how to protect the company from them.
• Boost employee morale.

Ensuring employees have the right resources to learn the technology they need to use will make them feel more confident and competent in their roles. This will improve engagement and motivation, increase job satisfaction, and reduce staff turnover.

How to Implement Corporate IT Training

Implementing corporate IT training and getting it right can be challenging. We know because we work with corporate technical training every day. Companies should start by assessing their employees’ technological knowledge and how much they might already know about new tools being implemented.

Even new technology typically has at least some aspects similar to something previously used or commonly known by most employees who have ever touched a computer.

One of the best ways to implement corporate IT training is to understand how employees use it. It’s not about what the software can do but how employees use it to do their jobs.

Not every feature or BDP is necessary, just what employees need to know to perform their jobs accurately and quickly. That means every organization should tailor their corporate training program to the company’s specific needs and requirements.

Companies should also ensure that they have adequate resources and tools to support the IT training program. That could mean having a training environment or even a working system that can be used to develop custom eLearning.

One of the best ways to provide corporate IT training is through online self-paced courses or sometimes short but focused training videos and tutorials. We specialize in corporate IT training and use a blend of custom digital training solutions to help organizations implement new technology successfully.

Challenges of Corporate IT Training

Companies may face challenges when implementing corporate IT training. One of the main challenges is that technology is never as predictable as it should be, and the development process doesn’t always go smoothly.

Because IT is a rapidly evolving field, it’s essential to ensure that training is regularly updated. A course could be released, and one year later, it’s outdated so much that it requires a complete refresh.

Another challenge is that because technology seems so straightforward for some, it’s that way for everyone. That means you could end up with corporate technical training that’s not only dry and boring but potentially way over employees’ heads.

There’s also the challenge of timing training correctly for the launch of new technology. It’s not always as easy as launching training two weeks before the launch of a new tool. There are many risks involved in making training available too early for employees.

Companies should ensure that all employees have the necessary training and access to the tool they’re learning as close to when they’ll need it as possible. There are some ways to overcome everyday challenges in corporate IT training.

Strategies for Overcoming These Challenges

The key to overcoming the challenges of corporate IT training is to ensure that you invest the right resources into making the training right. Don’t task a subject matter expert (SME) with training employees about the system they’re experts at. This is a recipe for disaster since a SME knows everything and wants to train on everything.

Having experts available as resources to answer questions is always helpful, but don’t let them create the training. Working with an instructional designer or instructional design consultant is more beneficial to get corporate IT training right.

Corporate IT training should be task-based (what do employees need to do?) and focused on each employee’s job. General training won’t help employees, your software training should always be tailored to how employees use it. Good training hinges on project managers or change managers bringing the training department in early and ensuring an environment is available to help create better training.

Sometimes, the right solution for challenging corporate IT training is to use contextual help to help employees in their workflow. Each problem for employees to learn IT systems has its challenges and solutions.

These strategies will help employees get the most out of IT training programs and help corporate IT training be as successful as possible. Never underestimate the power of performance support, either. Performance support is one of the most forgotten yet helpful training resources for corporate IT training.

Wrap Up

Corporate IT Training is invaluable for any business looking to stay competitive in the digital age and with digital transformation initiatives. By providing employees with the knowledge and tools they need to use the company’s technology successfully, businesses can ensure technology innovations are beneficial, used efficiently, and secure.

To maximize the impact of corporate IT training, companies should work with experienced instructional designer consultants who can solve the correct problems. Corporate technical training for employees is essential to the organization’s and its employees’ success.

Schedule a free consultation to discuss your next corporate technology initiative and how training will contribute to its success. We’re always happy to help you determine the right strategy and tactics.