Train IT Staff in Cybersecurity to Ensure Retention

Hiring new team members can be a challenging process. There is a lot of pressure to get it right for skills and overall fit. The process is especially difficult when an excellent employee left the organization and there is a need to fill the gap immediately. But what if you could keep those great employees longer?

While a lot of variables go into why an employee may choose to leave, you can help reduce the number of IT staff that leave the organization by offering them cybersecurity training that leads to certification. While employees need to be on board with the idea of taking more training in their field, most people want to learn more to advance their career.

It is a win-win for employers. Here is why:

Employers get trained, certified IT professionals who are committed to their role. Some employers are hesitant to pay for training for employees, thinking those individuals will earn something like a security+ certification and move on to a different job. However, employees tend to feel appreciated, and if their role and salary advance with their continuing education, they are much more likely to want to stay with the organization.

Ways Training Leads Employees to Stay Longer

• That sense of being appreciated and working for an employer willing to invest in them goes a long way. With career growth potential and recognition of their new skills and training, employees who are trained in new IT cybersecurity areas are likely to feel challenged and part of a bigger movement in IT within the organization.

For example. An employee who is offered training to lead them to network+ certification can grow into an essential role in providing greater network security for the organization. This may come as a new job or part of their existing job. Either way, if the employee is excited about applying their new skills, the employer should try to find opportunities for that growth and challenge.

• Another reason employees are more likely to stay is an increase in job satisfaction and efficiency. Someone in IT may have been trying to do work on network security but without adequate training. Ensuring they have the skills and knowledge they need reduces frustration and gets the job done at a much higher level.

• Newly hired employees may have been brought into the organization with an expectation of future training and the potential for future advancement. For example, perhaps a new hire recently started courses towards CySA+ certification. The employer, knowing those skills will help round out the IT team will want to ensure the new hire completes the training to help the employee earn that certification. This delivers not only advanced skills to the organization but also a level of expertise and appreciation within the IT community.

• When an IT manager is conducting employee reviews, they may be nervous about having to bring up a shortcoming of a team member. Training can improve the review process by providing a solution to the concern. In the case where the employee did not fulfill the organization’s needs for greater network security, the solution can be taking training and working towards network+ certification.

This process is also beneficial to the employee. Going into a review knowing there were issues previously can be difficult. Even when issues were not significant, few are the individuals who get perfect reviews! Knowing that training will be suggested to move the employee towards being more efficient, effective, and valued will make the review process much more appealing to everyone.

Training can be an excellent tool to retain great employees in the IT field. Be sure to get buy-in from the employee about the types of education they are interested in and how they see it progressing their career and the rewards will unfold for both the organization and the employee.