The era in which we live today is called the information age. This is because of great technological advances not only in the communications and information fields but in other areas as well.

It is imperative that businesses keep up with these advancements or they will become obsolete and irrelevant. This means they need to ensure that their employees have enough technical skills or undergo enough technical skills training to cope with the current business demands.

Technical skills training in the workplace is a crucial factor in achieving success as an organization.

Importance of Technical Skills in the Workplace

When choosing between two employees of equal character and soft skills, the one with the most relevant technical skills will get the position almost 100% of the time.

Technological development has made the business world very competitive which impels the workplace to be likewise lest they fall off the wayside.

In fact, from 2014 to 2019, Structures Query Language (SQL) was the most sought-after technical skill from employees on the Indeed platform. Furthermore, Udemy research shows that it is increasingly taught and trained in the workplace. And now, in 2020, Python is in the mainstream.

Coding and Programming

The most marketable tech skill is Coding and Programming. It is applicable to all fields of business endeavors. The top five major job categories where Coding and Programming are essential are: 

• IT worker
• Data Analyst
• Artists and designers
• Engineers
• Scientists

However, having these skills in other job categories often makes you indispensable in your company. Coding and Programming are projected to be in high demand in the coming years.

Technical Writing

The advent of IT led many prospective workers and professionals to downplay the importance of technical writing. This attitude minimized to an extent communication amongst departments, and between the company and its consumers. This mistake however was quickly discovered and the importance of technical writing was reestablished.

Technical writing bridges the gap between the creator of the product and its seller then the user. Technical writers must comprehend enough of the field, process, or product he/she is writing about so he can explain it clearly to the readers of his writeup.

Digital Marketing

Since most communication today is digital, it obliges companies to contact their customers through digital means. This way of contacting customers is called digital marketing. The types of digital marketing are: 

Social Media Marketing – availing of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, etc. to connect with your market 

Email Marketing – sending a commercial message to a group of people through their email. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – is a form of digital marketing that selects organic traffic. It solely depends on artificial intelligence called spiders or crawlers. These AI crawl the web in order to discover new pages and documents. And every search engine uses an Ai uniquely for them.  One approach these robots use to discover new sites is through links. So if another webpage links to your website, this forms an easy pathway for the Ai to follow and be identified.

Pay Per Click (PPC) – is an internet marketing model in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to secure those visits organically.

Online PR – is basically public relations work done online. It is broader than classic PR since it uses not only classic media but also social media platforms, blogs, and websites.

Content Marketing – is a planned marketing proposal whose emphasis is on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined clientele — and, ultimately, to direct profitable customer action.

Affiliate Marketing – is a type of performance-based marketing in which one or more affiliates earn commissions by bringing in customers.

Inbound Marketing –is a method for drawing customers to products and services by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. 

Marketing Automation – refers to software platforms and technologies designed to automate repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and even ad campaigns — not only for efficiency but so they can provide a more personalized experience for their customers.   

Sponsored Content – Sponsored content is a form of advertising put out by publishers or social media influencers. They may be articles, photos, video, or other formats. Brands co-create this content to generate discussions about their product. This is most promising when your sponsor targets your main audience and already discussed topics that integrate with your brand.

Business Intelligence

Business intelligence is the organizing, analyzing, and finding patterns in the data gathered by the business in order to make management decisions based on effective analysis of such data.

Some of the benefits derived from business intelligence are;

• Deepen customer knowledge
• Enhance internal processes
• Systemize Data Accuracy and Compliance
• Discover new Chances for Revenue
• Comprehensive and contextual decision making
• Expedites decision making
• Increase productive efficiency

Machine learning helps this process of analyzing data by backing up information with context.

Project Management

Project Management is the use of defined resources to achieve a specific goal.

This specific goal requires focus, thus the need to deploy a specific person or persons to achieve this goal.

The four phases of a project are:

• Conception/initiation
• Planning
• Implementation
• Close of project

The project manager and his team must work hand-in-hand to ensure that the project deliverables are taken care of.

Project Management requires both soft skills (management and communication skills) and technical skills (depends on the type of project).

Benefits of Technical Skills Training

When done right, technical skills training can be very advantageous and can serve as the competitive edge of a company, and the employees on a professional level.

Some of the benefits of skills training include

• Better work quality
• Increased job satisfaction
• Professional growth and development

Better Work Quality

The acquisition of proficient technical skills enables your employees to perform not only efficiently but more effectively as well. They are updated on technical advances thus can be adept in customer relations.

The training also uplifts their self-confidence and job outlook. They can save the company money if they can repair minor glitches.

Increased Job Satisfaction

Employees who are untrained are not happy. They worry about making mistakes and underperforming in their tasks. On the other hand, trained employees tend to be more loyal because they feel valued enough by the company to be given training. They know they can contribute more because they are well trained.

Professional Growth and Development

Well-trained personnel with diversified skills find it easier to apply for and be accepted to higher positions of responsibility.

This facilitates your turnover and recruitment process by a great margin. They can even use these skills to ease their lives or earn extra income.