Soft Skills

The changing role of IT workers necessitates moving from behind-the-scene techies profile to client interfacing roles that require proficiency in communications, business analysis and project management.

The rarity of IT staff taking on ‘soft skills’ training is a matter of serious concern and is is integral to the continual development of a modern day IT professional, said ACS president Edward Mandla.

Danika Bakalich, regional director of trade association CompTIA Australia, averred that in an ideal situation, professionals should keep their skills up to date, to the benefit of their employer, themselves and the IT industry at large.

As to the recommended number of days per year for soft skills training, she said a lot would depend on job specifications required and the implementation of new technology and systems within a company.

Projects

Typically, IT workers deal with projects that are three to five years long, Mandla said. By the time the project is through, they find themselves coping with the realities of a different environment.

Responding to the demands of the IT industry, some workers can get offshored, condemned to the backroom or transferred to another business unit.

In this scenario, they need to acquire a new set of skills as they may be called upon to apply diverse skills apart from their IT knowledge to ensure the project’s continued success in the business.

Martin Hale, CEO of IT Masters, which offers its Masters courses through Charles Stuart University, agrees that soft skills are visibly missing from most IT professionals’ repertoire today, but believes it due to their aversion to such things as communication skills.

“These people don’t want to do that type of training. Geeks are not known for their love of change management or communications skills,” he said.