The Internet is the change agent driving a new approach to education within the IT industry. It plays a major role in just-in-time training, enables online education and has challenged the traditional educational scenario requiring classroom and lecturer.
This is according to Rob Lopez, group strategic director at Dimension Data Communication Services, who describes the Internet and education as the two equalisers in business today.
"Integrators who ensure their staff are continually updating their knowledge and skills via the Internet are those that will add most value to their customers` business.
"Having a staff complement boasting a number of degrees and professional certificates is no longer enough. Ongoing education is vital and the ubiquity of the Internet means there is no excuse for staff not to have all the knowledge necessary to deploy new technology and complex solutions," says Lopez.
He adds that Dimension Data, like its major networking partner, Cisco Systems, is focusing on both the Internet and education.
"Cisco led the way by re-engineering its business around the electronic business model and becoming one of the world`s most Web-enabled companies," says Lopez. "The company is now leading the pack in terms of educating its staff, customers and partners via the Internet."
Today, it is vital for staff to have an excellent knowledge base. A good degree, like a Bachelor of Science, is no longer a guarantee of success. "What really adds business benefit to customers is having real knowledge.
"In our business, staff must have the knowledge to be able to deploy the latest technologies," says Lopez. "We used to talk about 'just in time` (JIT) only in regard to manufacturing. Now, especially with the Internet as a tool, we apply it to education.
"Like Cisco, we are ensuring that Dimension Data is structured to implement JIT learning processes so we remain ahead of the pack when it comes to deployment."
In the past, obtaining a university degree or technikon diploma was enough to ensure a career in an IT company. Today, it is only enough to get one started in the industry. From there on, the individual has to learn enough on the job to remain knowledgeable, and therefore effective.
"It`s all about continuous learning," notes Lopez. "It is one thing getting the qualification, but that becomes useless if the individual is not kept current. Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineers, for example, must re-qualify every year. It is not enough to obtain a skills set once - those skills must be kept up to date. Skills relevance is critical."
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