A Good workman keeps polishing the tool-box

Pratima H

Aspects like up-skilling, re-skilling and continuous learning have been redefined in a strong way in the pandemic-dotted months. Have they helped the IT industry to deliver productivity and relevance while also confronting heterogeneity and the gap on soft skills? Supriya Menon, Director- Education, VMware India puts the spotlight on the many shadows that accompany the new paradigm of learning – specially in an IT context.  

What is the biggest challenge about learning today? Has the pandemic phase helped to solve it or add to it?

Protocols adopted in the new normal have inspired companies to reimagine how employees can learn and develop skills. Learning and development (L&D) professionals are relooking at learning programs as a response to the pandemic. In a post-pandemic era, IT professionals can access a myriad of advanced learning programs. While there is an increase in the adoption of technology in general, people are still trying to cope with the changes in their personal, professional, and social lives.

Factors such as identifying key learning areas to advance one’s career, dedicating time to attend virtual training to building new skills; indulging in digital skills are some steps professionals can take. However, the pandemic has ushered in a new era of learning programs such as online subscriptions, virtual instructor-led training, and digital learning courses. This will help in improving employee learning experience with a little nudge from the employers, who want to upskill their employees for the future of work. 

Did you witness any jump in learning during the lockdown months? If yes, where and how will it affect the future talent roadmap?

Initially when the lockdown was first announced, there was a slowdown in the number of enquiries and requests from potential and existing customers. This could be due to the preference of in-person instructor lead class that the customers were used to as well as the impact of the shift to the new normal, where some of the people were still getting used to the remote working model for the first time. However, towards the end of the year we saw an increase in training, with reskilling and upskilling becoming more critical within highly digitalized environments. There was an increase in attendance of virtual classes, online training and subscription of different learning platforms. Today, we see a definite shift in training with a goal to attain competency in many roles and people are consciously gravitating towards building up skills to be future-ready. 

What spurred the idea behind the concept of VMware Learning? How is this different from what has been practised so far and in talent development initiatives at various IT companies?

VMware Learning programs provide training and certifications designed to help enterprises and IT professionals leverage the opportunities provided by VMware solutions. Through Learning, VMware offers to help enterprises target their training initiatives and get more value from their VMware investments. The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and has set in motion a structural shift that will change the way the IT workforce will approach job roles and responsibilities. As businesses adopt advanced technology, the industry needs to acquire the right skill sets to stay relevant. VMware Learning provides certifications that give enterprises the confidence that their technology professionals completely understand and are comfortable with all the benefits that come from VMware Products and solutions. VMware’s certification comes with credentials such as the best teachers, course material that is exclusively built based on our products and solutions and years of experience.   

What skills or capabilities are your focus areas now- especially with the advent of automated coding tools, AI's dominance, low-code platforms and fast-growing tech obsolescence?

Advanced learning programs can open the door to a plethora of opportunities that go beyond just enhancing one’s technical skills. With a more remarkable ability to perform at elevated proficiency levels, IT professionals also gain a competitive edge that enables them to pursue greater roles and take on more challenging and rewarding opportunities. Before pursuing a new learning path, it is important to identify one’s career goals. Having an idea of what the end goal looks like will make it easier to identify the right learning path and take that first step towards elevating one’s career in a field as dynamic as IT. 

At VMware, we approach learning through formal and informal training. Formal training provides a structured path and is delivered through a carefully-curated curriculum depending on the desired focus areas, through expert-led training, software credential programs, web-based on-demand sessions. Informal training or self-directed training fosters a continuous learning culture and is meant to sustain steady career growth through individual learning and collaborative learning tools that are driven by discussions, mentoring, engagements helping people pursue new learning opportunities. 

Can learning interventions help with tech-heterogeneity in enterprises?

Learning will help in diversifying solutions to the customers based on the customer needs. In the past, we have noticed that one of the main reasons for the lack and lag of adoption of technology is due to the unavailability of right skill sets.

How important are soft skills in the entire learning landscape? 

There is a growing emphasis on impactful and professional communication skills, especially in the backdrop of remote working. Senior leaders, employees, and businessmen today are working more collaboratively than ever before. For businesses to foster a culture of learning, growth, and development, it is equally important that employers encourage soft skills to ensure effective interpersonal communication, job performance, customer service, with a focus on inclusion to ensure employees are mindful of unconscious biases, especially to build meaningful workplace relationships. Leaders, too, can use their soft skills to communicate effectively with their employees in a changing environment with their ability to conspire confidence and storytelling to their teams and customers. 

How do you ensure addressing the needs of diversity, futureproofing of skills and life-long learning in this effort?

Given our experience of working from home over the last year, it is evident that the possibilities in the IT industry are limitless, with industry advantage through remote hiring irrespective of where employees are based. As we move into a hybrid model of working, progressive organizations will be more inclined towards hiring the right talent for the job based on their merit, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or place of origin. That can further help in employing a diverse pool of talent that brings in fresh perspective and cultural awareness, contributing to innovation.

Similarly, organizations must invest in learning and skilling existing employees to retain talent and future-proof their careers. The technology industry is fast-paced, and IT professionals need to refurbish their skills often to stay on track. For instance, training team members in areas of application modernization and Kubernetes will enable the employees to be more resourceful, leading to being a valuable asset to the organization in the long run.  Pursuing greater roles and taking on more challenging and rewarding opportunities, learning programs can go beyond technical training as they use relevant tools, whether self-paced, virtual, on-demand or virtual labs. 

What are the problem areas and trends to watch out for - when we look at the immediate future of IT learning?

The future of learning is quite promising, especially as we increasingly find ourselves using digital mediums to learn and communicate in most aspects of our lives. Going forward, I see more industries embracing the change in the medium of instruction along with developing courses that will not only utilize but also encourage the use of digital tools, new-age ways to connect, develop, present, and learn. With virtual learning taking the lead, learning can be done universally, facilitating new learning experiences, sharing best use cases, building a bigger network, all perhaps limited only by our imagination. This is also a great opportunity for cross-culture innovation, forgoing traditional concepts of learning and adapting to new forms of effective communication amongst both mentors and learners.