Getting IT! A Groundbreaking Guide On The Importance Of User Competence

So you have all the latest software and hardware for your company. You are convinced that this is going to give you the edge over your competition and allow you to offer the most up to date services to your customers. But all this is for naught if your users aren't competent. That is why is so important that you ensure that everyone working for you gets information technology (IT). Read on to find out how.

Education

First of all, to ensure IT literacy among your workforce it can help to have a minimum standard for the education that you expect in this area.

If you are working in an office environment, it may be useful to screen candidates for specific qualifications. Such as Microsoft Office Specialist Certification.

If you are working with specific programs, you may request a qualification as evidence of the ability to use this on a day to day basis.

This is particularly vital where you are using programs that are both advanced and specific to your industry. As having many different employees that are all at different levels can cause inconsistency in the quality of work.

Experience

Of course, education isn't everything when it comes to IT skills. Some folks have has no formal education but are more than competent, because they have taken the time and effort to self-teach what they need to know. With the internet full of tutorials and guides this is something that is becoming more and more common.

OK, so when employing folks like this you don't get the guarantee that you would if they hold a formal qualification. But it's important not to overlook such candidates, especially if they have evidence of their work, like a portfolio or samples online.

If you like the look of them but are still concerned about their skill levels on the program, you will be using you can enter them into formal training. As this should bring them up to speed.

Formal training

Having the ability to train some or all of your employees formally on the programs you want to use within your business is a must for user competence.

To do this, you can outsource this need to companies like Training Connection, or run your own internal courses if the need is high enough. Although, unless you are employing multiple people every month it's likely that outside training is a more practical way to do it.

Putting everyone through the same training is useful because you know that when they get into the office, they will all be of a similar standard. That means everyone can hit the ground running.

Sharing of ideas

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Lastly, IT is something that is changing all of the time. There are always new updates, versions, and advice that is coming out. That means you also have to make the commitment to keep pace with it.

You can do this through refresher sessions, or even regular staff meet ups. Where they can share ideas, techniques and anything else they have come across that could affect how they are using IT in your company.