Case Study: Training a Technical Workforce

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Scenario
  • $80 million triple platinum account—the largest in the organization
  • 450+ employees
  • Broad technical groups: Three—SAP, Datawarehousing/BusinessIntelligence(DW&BI) and Telecom
  • Roles: Diverse and in many cases overlapping—team member, module lead, team lead, project lead, project manager, program manager, account manager, analyst, delivery manager, director, consultant, senior consultant and principal consultant.
  • Employee distribution:
    -Onsite:Offshore = 40:60
    -Billable:Non-billable = 85:15
    -Telecom:SAP:DW&BI= 25:35:40
    -Permanent:Subcontractor:Contractor = 80:10:10
    -Team member, module lead, team lead, project lead account form almost 50 percent of all billable workforce.

Problem statement

Training a diverse technical workforce

Success Parameters
  • Global reach
  • Number of associates trained
  • Time taken to fill the skills gap based on changing business requirement
  • Ability to transfer training knowledge to work environment

Learning Solution

I am following a multipronged approach. As far as within my control, I try to provide all the solutions to all the employees distributed globally:

-E-learning: The preferred recommendation for onsite employees, if thetraining requirement is immediate and if the project team is cost sensitive(Please note that the elearning courses are available free of cost across the organization). E-learning is also recommended if the employees need to build a skillset without taking time off their demanding projects.

-Classroom: Preferred solution when the employees to be trained are large in number (typically above ten) or if their project mandates a group/single employee to be trained.

-Blended: Classroom training followed by assignments, online resources and buddy support.

-Webinar: Cutting edge technology, knowledge transfer.

-Seminar: Cutting edge technology, knowledge transfer. Typically, this solution is available locally.

-Mentoring: Provided when a solution requires handholding on account of its complexity or an employee needs active support to master a skill or mature professionally.

-On-the-job training: Demonstrate how various pieces of an overall objective fit in. For example, when a new member joins the project team or an employee is working on a new technology, typically two sessions are planned—
Session1: Tools and their functionalities
Session 2: How these tools work together for project purposes

-Newsletter: Updates on the latest events and development. Accolades,message, culture reinforcement, news etc.

-Online library: Any time/anywhere access to knowledge

-Physical library: Local reach

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