Despite tight budgets, many federal information technology leaders are still planning to invest in training for their IT staff over the next year, according to a new study by the Computer Technology Industry Association.
The study, "Government IT Purchase Plans," found that nearly half (44 percent) of government IT leaders say they plan to implement staff or end-user training over the next 12 months. The investment in training comes as the majority of respondents (60 percent) say that the top factor in government IT purchases and investments is "becoming more cost efficient and reducing costs," the survey found.
In addition, staff training is considered essential to many IT leaders, as many within federal defense agencies have reported that commercial IT certifications improved their employees' ability to identify and resolve incidents, communicate and prevent data spillage, the survey found.
What are the top skills and certifications your IT bosses plan to invest in for you over the next year? According to CompTIA, the top five are: PC maintenance and tech support (58 percent), networking (58 percent), recovery and backup (56 percent), security/cybersecurity (44 percent) and project management (32 percent).
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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