As our US friends celebrate #DigitalLearningDay, we look at why learning new technologies and digital skills, in and out of the classroom, is important no matter how old you are.
As an Information Technology company, it’s no surprise that our team is passionate about digital technology. Most of our employees have completed degree or college courses in computing, some are still studying. But learning doesn’t stop when you step out of the classroom. Technology is changing all the time, so the learning must continue. There are lots of ways to learn new digital skills, here are some of them.
Peer learning is a fantastic way to acquire new skills and techniques. Our IT engineers learn from each other every day. Everyone has unique interests and ways of fixing problems. When an issue occurs, speaking with other members of the team is a fantastic way to learn how to diagnose and fix a problem.
Formal learning with a college or university course is a great way to learn and gain qualifications. Two of our team are currently studying for apprenticeships while they work. Formal education allows our team to combine accredited learning and apply those new skills directly into work. In turn, the students take solutions learned at work into their educational setting, so the knowledge sharing is a two-way street and benefits everyone.
Informal learning is ongoing. Our team spends a huge amount of time in and out of work improving their computer skills just for the fun of it. We’re taking part in a competition called #CyberDrainCTF. A capture the flag series of online events, the competition has a series of IT questions and challenges to be completed. With different technical levels and specialist subjects, with a score board updated in real time. IQ in IT Technical Director Luke Whitelock came joint first in the event, with several of our team doing incredibly well.
IQ in IT Technical Director Luke Whitelock says: “We are always striving to improve the services we provide to our clients. We live and breathe IT, so for us playing a game that involves learning is a great way to test and improve our skills. Outside of work, I like to experiment with writing scripts that will hopefully improve the service we give our clients. I really enjoy this learning side of things and have started posting my work on a platform with other Managed Service Providers (MSPs). We share our ideas on IT solutions, and that way we all learn from each other.”
Professional learning is not just something we do ourselves, it’s something we encourage our clients to do as well. Digital learning is crucial for all staff in all businesses to keep your company safe from cyber-attacks, which has seen a massive increase since the start of the COVID pandemic. We organise cyber-security training to help companies train their staff to avoid digital crime. Learning should be fun for everyone, so there are games, quizzes, animations, videos, and a whole load of interactive tools to make learning fun.
If you would like to find out more about digital learning, get in touch [email protected] or book a chat here.