How to maximize your investment in IT training

Purpose – To highlight the IT skills shortage in Britain and examine ways of combating it. Design/methodology/approach – Presents the advantages of carrying out a training needs analysis, psychological and skill‐based tests to identify an employee's current ability and willingness to embrace the training programme, and the advantages that blended learning can offer over other training methods. Findings – Too many organizations rely on recruiting skilled IT people from outside, rather than cultivating the IT skills of their own employees. Highlights the advantages of the latter approach and suggests that blended learning can be a useful solution. Originality/value – Argues the case for IT training as an ongoing part of an organization's operations, rather than a panic reaction to an immediate skill shortage.