Second chances and virtual answers

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A second chance for a virtual world may well be a key theme of ICT training in the near future. According to Paul Donovan, registrar and programme director with the Irish Management Institute, “Over the next two years it (Second Life) must get its second wind,” he said confidently.

“How can we use available technology to create simulated experiences for learners just as pilots do in simulation machines before they are allowed to take us all up in to the sky?” asked Donovan. “If technology can crack the interpersonal skills market with the machine as mentor instead of the live and present human, then the last major obstacle will have been overcome.”

It’s an interesting standpoint, though experts range greatly in their opinions on what will influence the ICT skills and training marketplace in the medium to long term future. Senior director of consulting and education with Citrix, Dave Taylor believes for instance that “self paced online training offerings enabled by virtualisation technologies, are going to increasingly change the way classic ICT learning occurs”.

He continued, “The new generation of learners, the Google generation, are used to learning online through surfing and networking. Being tied to a classroom schedule can be viewed as limiting and boring. They want to learn online at their pace and not the same pace as the rest of their classmates.” Taylor said that, overall, this would be a gradual change, “as this generation comes through and student attitudes warm to this new mode of learning”.

Asked to pin down possible influences in the future of the ICT training sector, BT Training’s sales manager Garreth Fennell listed off several areas of interest. He pinpointed developments in telecommunications as key, with VoIP and projects involving unified communications “continuing to drive demand for blended telecommunications and networking skills”.

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Project management training could also be a huge growth area he added, “apparently employers want people with project management certification, even at the vice president level” he said, while networking, business intelligence (including data mining, data warehousing and data management skills) and security are also ticked as being important areas which may increase in popularity according to Fennell.

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