How Higher Education Can Introduce Paths for Advancement for IT Staff

Learn how higher education can retain IT staff by offering avenues to attain new skills and advance.

In the world of higher education, recruiting IT staff can be very difficult.  Naturally, this means that keeping staff happy in the workplace is a matter of serious importance.  But what can higher education institutions do to increase IT staff satisfaction?  In general, these institutions can retain IT staff by offering avenues to attain new skills and advance.

Because information technology is constantly changing, IT staff at higher education institutions need to consistently develop new skills.  In addition to these new technical skills, IT staff also need to develop communication and management skills in order to remain satisfied in their positions.  Finally, IT staff want to be recognized and promoted for their work.

While these goals seem easy enough, many higher education institutions fail to create a clear pathway to success for their IT staff.  One way to clarify the process of advancement is by creating a “how to promote” resource for each position.  This way, you can offer staff ways to work independently, develop new skills, and advance professionally all on their own.  Once they have created a framework on how to promote, higher education institutions also need to allow their staff to request training, mentoring, and other educational and skill-building opportunities.

The benefits of offering IT staff a clear path for advancement are multifaceted.  First, it offers staff the opportunity to be proactive about career development and promotion opportunities.  It also shows IT staff that they have the possibility to advance at their current positions.  Finally, by offering opportunities to develop skills, higher education institutions show that they value their staff and wish to invest in them.  Together, all these benefits lead to higher rates of IT staff retention, satisfaction, and productivity.

This is how higher education institutions can retain IT staff by offering avenues to attain new skills and advance.  Looking for a consulting firm with experience working with salary, legal, and other human resources considerations?  Then don’t hesitate to contact the professionals at McKnight Associates, Inc.  We are ready to offer you hands-on human resources consulting for colleges, universities, medical centers, and organizations of all sizes.