As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, organizations are under increasing pressure to equip their technical teams with the right skills to drive the business forward.
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we sat down with Aleksandar Orovcanec, technical training specialist at CSA Group, to explore how learning leaders can develop and support future-ready tech teams
Tune in now to hear insights on:
- Overcoming common technical training challenges
- Strategies for integrating soft skills into technical learning programs
- The impact of AI on technical skills development and training approaches
More Resources:
- [Resource] Top 20 IT Training Companies
- [Article] The Cybersecurity Skills Crisis: Beyond Simple Supply and Demand
- [Podcast] Episode 86: Building AI and Data Skills for the Modern Workforce
The transcript for this episode follows:
Sarah Gallo: Hi. Welcome back to The Business of Learning. I’m Sarah Gallo, senior editor here at Training Industry.
Michelle Eggleston Schwartz: And I am Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, editor in chief. In today’s tech-driven world, organizations rely on skilled technical workers to keep systems running, innovate and stay competitive. But training these workers and keeping their skills up to date comes with unique challenges. Today, we’re exploring best practices for it and technical training. With us, we have Alexandar Orovcanec, technical training specialist at CSA Group. thanks for speaking with us today.
Aleksandar Orovcanec: Thanks for having me, and it’s a pleasure to be here.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Yes. Welcome to the podcast. Happy to have you on and dive into this topic. And to get started, can you share a little bit about some of those most common challenges that organizations face when they are training technical workers?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So thank you for the question, Sarah. Before I dive into the questions, I would like to clarify that my answers are based on my personal experiences and beliefs and not solely my position at CSA Group. From experience creating effective technical training that builds employee skills and knowledge is a complex tasks, organizations must balance cost efficiency with delivering high quality training to support client expectations. I think to succeed training programs should blend various learning methods tailored to specific goals. It’s essential to focus on the value provided to employees and how to improve the, it improves their ability to work independently and meet client expectations. I think you should always ask yourself a question, are employees truly prepared to perform and deliver client excellence? Based on my experiences so far, I came up with the four common challenges. The first one is a technical onboarding. This refers specifically the technical aspects of the onboarding as opposed to the human resources part of the onboarding. The key question to consider here is the organization have a structured and comprehensive technical onboarding program that effectively trains employees with necessary skills, knowledge? And competence to succeed in their roles…[a challenge] is fundamental technical training. In this worldwide environment and global globalization, companies may face difficulties in hiring talent with specific technical skills and specific knowledge. Therefore, is essential to be able to provide fundamental technical training to help employees integrate fast efficient into the companies and industry requirement. The third challenge is the training modalities. This is essential part of the day-to-day training, this should ensure that the training methods and learning formats used are aligned with the organization vision and mission, and effectively deliver the necessary value to the employees. The last, and I think the most important challenge would be retention of knowledge once the training is completed.
How do we ensure that employees retain the necessary information, and how do we know that they’re applying it later? At this point, I want to say, I’m proud to say that the CSA Group, we have an established comprehensive technical onboarding program delivered through a variety of training modalities to equip our employees with skills and knowledge needed in their daily task and responsibilities.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Thanks for breaking down those sort of four buckets of challenges that are really common. I know it’s likely our listeners are facing some, if not all of those in their roles. And with that, I’d love if you could share maybe some strategies or best practices that can help overcome those challenges and really ensure that effective technical training.
Aleksandar Orovcanec: Yes. So just going individually to each of these challenges. I will kind of talk a bit about the strategies used to get … outside there for the people who are involved in a technical training. we talk about technical onboarding, implementing a detailed and interactive technical onboarding program is essential. This can involve step-by-step guides, hands-on experiences and mentorship specific to company procedures, processes. Tools and the technologies, I think regular checks in and feedback during the onboarding process. It’s crucial to address the gaps in knowledge and integration of the employees. the second one, the fundamental technical training organize workshops. Training sessions or create educational events that cover the basic technical concept required to your industry. I think engaging in with the experienced professional from your organization to offer real life examples and practical applications is key. Using simulated projects can help employees apply knowledge in a controlled and safe environment. Training modalities. This is very big. You can incorporate various training modalities, eLearning platforms, interactive tutorials, video lectures, microlearning, mentorship, video, gamification, to name few. Aligning these modalities with the organization’s vision and mission to ensure values delivered to the employees is key. training to different learning styles. It’s extremely important can boost comprehension and. Retention and the last challenge, intention of knowledge combat the forgetting curve. As we all know, after training the next day, 70% of the. knowledge shared is gone, and in a week 90%, we have to use specific strategies to make sure that the technical workforce gets back into the line and satisfying the client expectation. In this, I would mention few spaced repetitions, regular assessments and refresher courses. Encourage employees to learn. their knowledge through simulated projects to replicate client requests and practice gaining necessary skills for industry. I think providing reference materials also promoting a culture of continuous learning can support long-term retention. [At] CSA Group, we employ a combination of this particular strategies, tailoring them to specific needs to achieve our ultimate goal, training, education and developing a highly competent workforce.
Michelle Eggleston Schwartz: I love that. Thank you for breaking that down. Because to your point, reinforcing training is so important because otherwise, your money’s wasted if you’re not reinforcing it on the job. Repetition, everything you mentioned there, so that is definitely important. I’d love to hear a little bit about your own experience training tech workers. What are some of the strategies you’ve used to develop training for these tech workers?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So to ensure effective training, I think is essential to start with conducting training needs analysis, which will help establish the right strategies. Training is not always a solution. We know that. So it’s important to understand the business needs, the business goals, workplace culture, and your audience to start with the right approach. I think there is no strategy given. You’re done. I don’t believe that exists. So developing effective technical training requires a thoughtful combination of methods tailored to the specific needs of both the organization and the workforce. That said, in my opinion, the organizations must adopt blended strategies match how employees learn and build the skills they need to succeed. So top two strategies for effective training. Simulated projects in com completing a safe and controlled environment. This is, this strategy is highly effective in helping employees acquire essential technical and soft skills for which we talk more later through hands-on practice and repetition of key tasks. By engaging with the organization’s, procedures, processes, reading and applying them, employees can build. Confidence as well as excel in their day-to-day responsibilities. core idea is to practice delivering what the clients expects. While continuously evolving through necessary adjustments aligned with company and industry standards, I think safe learning environment allows for mistakes which can be corrected with the minimal risk and minimal investment. These moments become valuable learning opportunities, helping employees understand that what went wrong and why. The second strategy I used is active coaching. This strategy can be applied independently or in a combination with the previous approach. Experienced coaches are assigned to employees and provide real. Time support helping employees navigate client interactions while transferring practical knowledge. hands-on guidance supports development and helps employees earn specific qualification that demonstrate their competence. coaches work closely with employees continually assessing their technical abilities. And providing feedback. report on progress and completion based on defined organizational standards, ensure that learning outcomes are aligned with performance expectations. I can proudly say at CSA Group, we use these two strategies to deliver high quality technical training solutions through different methods and modalities based on the specific products, specific clients, and specific area of the business.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Sounds like that active learning, that hands-on interactivity is really important here. Like you mentioned, having that ability to make mistakes and learn from them in real time and that active coaching, so that sort of active element seems really important for technical training. I want to shift gears to touch on skills for a second. We know that the pace of change is really fast moving, especially in terms of technological change. And with that, how can organizations really identify those specific skills that their workers need, and also anticipate future skills. Do you have any tips there?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So I have to admit, this is kind of a challenging question, but I’ll do my best to share my perspective on how this might work. I think to keep up with the Rapid Technological Change organizations need a strategic and future focused approach for the employees. This starts with understanding the current skills of the employees and how these skills align with the business goals. By analyzing the labor market and industry trends, companies can identify which technologies and capabilities are becoming essential. [I] strongly believe building skills metrics will help prioritize what’s needed now, what will be needed soon, and what may be critical in the future. At the same time, the organization should foster a culture of continuous learning, which could be key for growth of the employees. This includes offering training hands-on, projects, partnership with the colleges, universities, tech companies to help employees continue develop their skills and grow into their areas.
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Michelle Eggleston Schwartz: Definitely, identifying the skills needed to excel in every job role is really a big focus right now in the industry and has been for some time. But really, like you said, this focus on skills and making sure that they’re aligned with the business goals is really important for learning leaders today. I’d love if you could talk a little bit about learning modalities. How can organizations determine the best approach how can they pick the right method for technical training?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So there is no one-size-fits-all method for using learning modalities in technical training. We all know the 70-20-10 model or a guide, which is 70% on the job training, 20% social as 10% of formal learning can be very helpful, but it should be, in my opinion, modified based on industry, organization and the client expectations. Some sectors, some industry may shift the balance to 50, 30, 20. Or other different ratios, depending on better fit their mission visions and their values. Organizations can choose from many different learning modalities. Today we have enormous pool of those modalities, such as on job training, mentorship, coaching, gamification, eLearning, virtual instructor-led trainings, we have microlearning, we have virtual reality coming and so forth. best approach depends on the workforce, the industry, and the clients they serve. At CSA Group, we use a variety of training methods tailored to specific needs, specific clients and specific expectations of those clients. Because we cover many different industries from manufacturing to service, we need to have an opportunity to design methods who are really specific to the specific workforce. Who is covering those clients? I believe blended approach is often the most effective, especially for technical training because while formal learning, like foundational knowledge can really help on the job, and social learning can be more effective for skills development, I think it’s to date fast growing, changing environment organizations should remain flexible in combining different modalities as needed rather than relying on one single method, we should get away from that particular stigma. The goal is to deliver training that not only build skills, but also support clients’ satisfaction. And there where we can say at CSA Group, we have types of strategies where we kind of have to change our abilities for our clients and deliver specific technical training.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Thanks for sharing those tips. I think especially when there are so many, um, modalities out there right now, it can be a really challenge, sort of pinning down which ones to use and really being strategic in that sense when adopting blended learning. Alexandar, we know that technical skills are, are of course essential, but soft skills like communication and collaboration are also important, especially in the age of AI and automation. How can organizations integrate soft skills training into their technical training efforts?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So soft skills are vital part of the technical workforce in today. Diverse global work environment. Like you said, Sarah, these skills are often just as important as the technical skills. Strong communication, collaboration, and skills are essential to navigating complex projects and building those client relationships. I, think without this, even the skills employees with skills tech. May have a trouble meeting clients’ needs, right? So technical training should encourage interaction between employees and trainers, fostering collaboration, communication, and teamwork. will help employees not only build technical skills, but also develop the soft skills needed to thrive in the modern workplaces. So my top three strategies to integrate soft skills in technical training. Number one, blended learning include tasks that require communication, teamwork. Time management and problem solving. This helps trainees practice soft skills while learning technical content. Mentorship pair trainees with mentors who can provide feedback on both technical and soft skills, one-on-one or in a group setting. And the third strategy may be most important role playing exercises. Use realistic case studies in group settings to simulate client scenarios. allows trainees to practice both technical and soft skills in a safe environment where the feedback is provided to them afterwards. CSA Group, I can proudly say applies all three strategies as needed based on the business, need the strategy, ensure our technical workforce is not only skilled, but also well-rounded and client ready.
Michelle Eggleston Schwartz: That’s great. I’d love to touch on a little, little more here about artificial intelligence. It’s the buzzword right now, it’s being talked about, so we definitely have to talk about it here. Does training technical workers look like in the age of ai? How is AI changing the skills that these workers need, and how can L&D really help develop these skills?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: This is a tough one as well. But I believe AI is one of the most important and complex technologies we face today, and I don’t think so. It’s going to go [anywhere], so we will face [it] in the future as well, this technology is something we must learn, manage, and adjust to it as it’s rapidly developing. Right? Embracing AI is important in improving our skills and how we serve our clients and industry. So we go. We have to accommodate to the requirements of the organizations clients we serve, as well as the workforce. AI can greatly support development of both the technical and soft skills. There’s no doubt there. However, we must approach it carefully. By setting clear boundaries and ensuring proper selection. I think blindly accepting the AI without oversight could harm the workforce development and ne negatively impact our clients. Our technical workforce would need training in the current and emerging AI tools, and this could be both as a part of the corporate IT structure or through individual learning opportunities, this training should also address ethical concerns, biases, privacy and transparency. So we have to be extremely cautious about how this is implemented in our day-to-day activities. Effective strategies for building AI skills would include personalized learning paths, interactive hands-on tools, and collaborative learning. and mentorship at CSA Group, we just started with this particular top technology and we’re encouraged to use it daily. Of course, all within the safe and controlled environment.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Great tips there, especially around that responsible AI use, which we know is huge, and training leaders really can play a role in helping organizations adopt that. We’ve covered quite a bit in today’s conversation today, but before we do wrap up, are there any final takeaways or is there a final tip you’d like to share with our listeners?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: Training can kind of keep in mind when they are part of this creation, development and implementation of the training. Number one, understand the technical workforce requirements. I think we need to frequently evaluate the employee skills gaps and gather feedback to ensure training is relevant. [It’s] key that’s done on a weekly basis. [You’ve] got to stay current with the industry trends, keep up with the latest technologies, some of the best practices done by other industries. Not just the technical, but the finance industry and, and let’s say manufacturing, industry and software to ensure and use those best practices to future-proof our training programs. Number three, we have to start adapting new technologies. Embracing tools like AI to make learning easier and improve outcome is key. Also, we have to make sure that we have controls in place, that this doesn’t take us somewhere else when we don’t want to lose our real touch and as well touch to our clients. And four, use the right training modalities and methods. This is a key because technical training is really specific in how the training is created because it’s really specific, you can’t have a way around it. You have to really find a way how to explain and it’s so specific that you have to be carefully curating your content, choosing the most effective learning formats to reach and engage your audience. It’s key here as well. I think focusing on these four [strategies], we’ll build a capable and a compliant workforce that delivers value as well as to the clients and enforces and reinforces the long-term relationships.
Sarah Gallo: Perfect. Well, with that, Alexander, thank you for speaking with us on the podcast today. How can our listeners reach out if they’d like to get in touch?
Aleksandar Orovcanec: So you can easily connect with me at LinkedIn, when I regularly participate in learning development communities and discussing technical training and any other learning a development training. I’m a part of your Training Industry company [membership community] and being on the podcast, it’s great too, so that people can see. So I’m always happy to share insights, resources, best practices, look forward to collaborating with other fellow professionals, and just like that, you can reach me at LinkedIn.
Sarah Gallo: Awesome.
Michelle Eggleston Schwartz: For more resources on this topic, check out the episode description or visit the shownotes on our website at TrainingIndustry.com/Podcast, and don’t forget to rate and review us wherever you tune into the business of learning. Until next time.
