Nowadays, there is a growing demand from employees for opportunities to develop, for example through external/internal training and education. We can also experience from the companies' side that the promise of ensuring constant development is becoming almost a cliché. Who promises what to the other, and what actually comes to pass? We spoke to the CEO of Training360 about the topic.
IThon.info: In parallel with the National IT Competition, we conducted a survey with 2,600 players, in which we asked the participants about professional development and motivation at work. According to them, training and learning opportunities are fundamental motivational factors when choosing and keeping a job. However, when we talk to CEOs and IT managers, we regularly receive feedback that 60-80% of the training budget is stuck at the end of the year. What do you think is the reason for this apparent contradiction? What are your experiences in this regard?
József Nyisztor: We do indeed experience such a contradiction, but I think we can talk about fundamentally different age groups. The CEO gives an average, where – in my opinion – the older generation is overrepresented, who live more from their experience than from their up-to-date knowledge. And the one you are meeting is the end of Y - Generation Z, whose representatives have one of the three priorities as continuous self-education.
Another component of the contradiction is the phenomenon that companies do not send young people who would like to participate in professional training, saying that they are still young or are on probation. This is of course a false analogy, since it is most worthwhile to send those who are still young to training, as this way they will be of even greater help to the company as soon as possible.
Of course, I also see that a certain part of companies already understands that they need to approach things differently, as people plan for the shorter term, so training and onboarding processes need to be more intense.
However, I have never met anyone who, if given a training opportunity, would not take advantage of it. This is my own experience.
The other problem is that the vast majority of managers do not feel that training itself needs to be planned. Here we need to understand that we are not planning for the present, but for the future. So if a company has a two-year strategic plan, it should also include a two-year training plan.
And here too there is a very serious contradiction: companies implement new systems by deciding through a long series of discussions what will change, what infrastructure is needed for this, they buy the system, but only after that they learn it. If you think about it, this is absurd. We don't learn to swim by jumping into the Danube and then it will happen somehow. First, we learn the basics in a practice pool, and only then do we venture into deep water.
Moreover, if you learn to use the given system before you buy it, you will definitely be able to choose a better construction, since you already know the given product. This conscious thinking is the basis of everything. And of course, this will pay off later.
Finally, once the strategic and educational plan is in place – and has been put into practice – it is worth considering what we will do in the next quarter to further develop ourselves. However, everyone should expect that the introduction of this method will certainly be hindered by some level of organizational resistance at first, but this can be overcome. In addition, generational differences can also be bridged, as if the older, more experienced colleague sees that the younger one is going to the given training, he will probably feel more motivated to do the same.
And we should also strive to have the older, experienced colleague share his knowledge with the younger one, and if the latter also has useful knowledge, he should also make it available to the older employees. This way, potential problems arising from fluctuations can also be prevented.
IThon.info: Isn't there a risk that the older generation will start to fear for their position from the younger generation? Is there a proven communication method that can overcome this?
József Nyisztor: This is an absolutely observable phenomenon, but it can be changed not only with communication tools, but also with conscious programs. For example, conscious mentoring programs are the most successful in our country today, during which we teach each company to build its own programs.
This also works because older colleagues have countless tasks that they do but don't like to do. Such programs involve young people, and thus the experienced colleague also receives help, and the newly hired employee also feels useful and develops at a rapid pace.
This also helps them learn to work in a team and get along faster. In many cases, these mentoring programs can become symmetrical – so, as I mentioned earlier, the older one can also learn something from the younger one.
One thing we have to say about these mentoring programs is that they work exactly to the extent that people believe in them. Where the program is created as a solution to a need, it typically works better, as it provides an answer to a real problem. For example, let's say a fast-growing startup or a multinational moving to Hungary, where 100-150 people suddenly need to be integrated.
But the same example could be a long-established company that wants to integrate 30 new people. Previously, it was not obvious that the training of 1-1 people was also done using bad methods, but the 30 newly hired employees will strain the company's capacity framework - provided that they do not develop an appropriate professional mentoring program.
It is also noticeable that companies no longer pay enough attention to entrusting people who are suitable for teaching and mentoring with the management and completion of the training processes. Moreover, many people do not even think of themselves as suitable - although typically there are many more of them than not. Therefore, first, the selected employees must be told how their situation will change, how much better it will be if they participate in such a mentoring program as an instructor, and then they must be introduced to the aspects and methods of knowledge transfer.
By the way, we can also have selected employees complete tests to determine what type of instructor they are, which will reveal what teaching competencies they have. They will also be assigned a coach for this process, making the process even more efficient.
Moreover, colleagues trained in this way will be very useful not only when training new employees, but also in other stages of the company's life. We can also say that they will be the power transmission medium when it is necessary to turn the ship around.
IThon.info: There are cases where the colleague assigned to the training has to be convinced that he or she is truly capable of imparting knowledge. Isn't it typical that he or she tries to evade this?
József Nyisztor: It's not typical. There are two possible alternatives: either they apply or they are assigned the task. If they apply, then naturally this phenomenon doesn't exist. If they are assigned the task and they also receive help to complete it, then there is no problem. So it's less typical for them to dodge it.
IThon.info: Doesn't such training represent an additional burden? Isn't there a phenomenon that "of course, technology is developing rapidly, but I don't want to go for another training"? Isn't there a kind of comfort in the market situation that, due to the labor shortage, my work is needed somewhere anyway, whether I train or not?
József Nyisztor: Of course, there are such people and there are such people. There is really a great demand for experienced professionals now, and there are those among them who are comfortable with this. However, I see that if those who have the opportunity to attend training take advantage of it, then the more comfortable layer will also start thinking, because it is still about their own career. Sooner or later, everyone realizes that experience is not omnipotent.
Often, the problem is that the employee is not given enough time to go to such a training. The manager tries to send him, but he also has to do the same amount of work that he would have done without the training. Of course, in such situations you can say that he “doesn’t want to go”, but in this case it is actually about “he cannot go”, and these two things should not be confused.
This was the greatest learning methodology experience of the 2000s. When various e-learning materials appeared, many people thought that from now on you could study on the bus or at home, and that employees could do their work during working hours just like before. And when the question arose as to why it should be done, there was no substantive answer, so people didn't do it.
We previously conducted a study with a very large sample, which revealed that only 20% of respondents actually train themselves, and not just claim to. However, when we asked them what they were planning for next year, a third of the respondents said they would like to participate in some kind of training - however, most of them could not give a specific answer as to exactly what kind of training. So it is clear that there is a need for development, but in many cases this does not materialize.
IThon.info: Nowadays, we see more and more examples of companies introducing gamification programs for educational purposes. To what extent do such initiatives help educational processes?
József Nyisztor: Gamification is a big hype. Just like e-learning was a big hype a few years ago. Gamification was previously called simulation, and although it has a very serious place and role in professional training, it can have the greatest impact in areas where it has not been used yet. Gamification alone does not solve the problem if – and I have already mentioned this before – there is no strategy. Moreover, our statistics clearly show that companies where strategic-level training takes place face turnover problems to a much lesser extent.
It is important to understand that this is not a universally applicable method. It is very powerful in certain areas – for example, in introducing complex issues through analogies – but it cannot be used in all areas of education. So it will not replace everything, I would rather say that it should be combined with other training tools.
And one more thing. It's worth letting employees go to training courses that they want to go to. Which are not necessarily related to their job, but they want to learn. This way, they will be more willing to go to training courses that they don't feel like doing, and they will also feel that they are truly important to the company.
IThon.info: IT is developing in endless directions. How do IT managers and employees know in which direction to train themselves?
József Nyisztor: It's best if they ask us. We currently work with approximately 4,000 companies that are heading in certain directions. I mention this because IT also follows economic development – at least to a certain extent – and so many company leaders are guaranteed to turn towards the trends. Therefore, we can tell you what is worth learning right now.
Training360 is part of the European Leading Learning Partners Association (LLPA), and we constantly share this type of information with each other. Therefore, I think they can also take our word for it on such issues. So if a company tells us what sector they work in, what technologies they work with, we can tell them in what direction they should train themselves.
IThon.info: If the conversation has turned to this: if a manager or an employee is thinking about education or further training, what is the plus that makes it worth choosing Traning360?
József Nyisztor: If I want to put it in a funny way, I'll say: the coffee here is the best. In fact, this may not be such a joke, since, in my experience, IT professionals specifically need industrial coffee machines.
All kidding aside, I would say that the most important thing for everyone – and the most valuable thing – is to be trained by highly qualified professionals. And here, they can learn from people who are experts in their own fields. But we don’t stop there. We also teach these professionals how to teach. Professional knowledge and good teaching skills together – and of course, world-class coffee.
And I haven't even mentioned how wide our portfolio is. We have over 800 types of training available, from which you can build almost anything, and it covers a wide range of areas. In addition, we consider supporting the strategies of company leaders to be of primary importance, and we support their implementation with various methods - e.g. consulting, change management assistance, knowledge transfer, preparation of supporting documentation, e-learning materials, etc.
IThon.info: How can we most effectively allocate our time for studying? How can we plan regularity into our lives?
József Nyisztor: It depends on the goal. The alpha and omega of learning is that knowledge cannot be transferred, but rather acquired. So without personal motivation, it is a failed endeavor. If there is personal motivation, then it is worth thinking about whether the person will deal with it for 20 minutes or 1 hour a day – this depends on personal skills and the knowledge base.
The other thing is that learning new things should be done intensively, while if you want to improve an existing skill, it's okay to do it at a more leisurely pace – weekly, biweekly. If we don't pay attention to this, we can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the training.
IThon.info: So we can say that the prerequisite for successful training is a kind of change in attitude. Do you see the possibility that help can come from several sides in this? We can think, for example, of parents, of the education system. What do you think?
József Nyisztor: From the parents' side, it is absolutely worth enrolling children in summer training camps, for example, and if possible, applying for practical work. It is clearly observed that if we show the child the goal, tell him the reasons, he will be much more willing to go than if we simply order him.
At the school level, it's a little different. I wouldn't write off public education. Fortunately, my children go to two different schools – one is a church school, the other is an innovative institution – and both places are very open to new things and absolutely prioritize student development.
And companies are starting to realize that they are sitting on a melting iceberg. They feel that their customer base will soon change, people will be fired faster and they can be hired more slowly, and the answer to this is clearly education and training. So most companies have already realized that they don't need to build an igloo on this iceberg, but a ship that they can sail on.
If I take the IT Career Start programs as a basis, I can say that 10-12 years ago, when we started these, I still had to knock on the door of companies to address this, because it is indeed an existing and growing problem. Today, most people are aware of this.
IThon.info: The Career Start programs in question are short training courses with quickly acquired knowledge. Should they teach some kind of direct knowledge, or should they rather teach students how to learn in the IT market?
József Nyisztor: We continuously measure the outcomes, and based on this we can say that there are already two universities in Hungary that credit 1.5 years of credits in the student's textbook based on our 4-month Career Start program. I think this is a pretty good ratio.
The secret to this is that the whys are very clearly explained. In practice, imagine these intensive trainings as if you were working with a Commodore 64, which has very little memory, and everything has to be solved with it. In Hungary, complete payroll programs have been solved this way, so the task is not impossible. The key is extremely meticulous optimization.
At the beginning of the process, we teach students to learn effectively and communicate assertively, which will be a huge advantage for both the company and the employee, as they will gain the skills to learn quickly and collaborate in a team. Both parties benefit from this.
IThon.info: When these programs first started, many people talked about the fact that the programming profession would split: there would be people who had completed intensive training and would do tasks that could be learned quickly, and there would be university graduates who could become architects, for example. Is this problem statement real?
József Nyisztor: Whether someone becomes an architect or not does not depend on how many years they spent at university. If we look at the leaders of large IT companies, we can see that many of them do not have a degree. So it does not depend on that.
Of course, there are intensive training courses that cannot provide the deep mathematical knowledge that, say, a university course can. But it is not certain that the person will need it in the field they work in. So, it is not the training that is most important, but the attitude.
IThon.info: If we combine all this with the National IT Competition, do you see a chance that a person who completed the Start program will win the award in 6-8 years?
József Nyisztor: Faster. Because what matters is how long it takes you to learn something and how you can interpret it. I would even venture to say that in such a 4-month Career Start program, we could prepare them to win the absolute category, if that were the goal.
Returning to universities for a moment, the advantage of such programs is that the predetermined set of requirements required for graduation is not easy to meet. So those who have a degree are likely to have good problem-solving skills – and are persistent.
I also suggested to my son that, regardless of what he wants to do with his life, he should graduate from a university, precisely because you have to meet strict rules, within a specific time frame, and in addition to interesting things, you have to deal with many things that are less exciting for you.
In summary, I see that companies perceive the problem and are working to solve it. Of course, there will never be enough knowledge, but each development that occurs opens new doors.
February 2019