The rapid adoption of high-growth technologies such as cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, security, and Internet of Things (IoT) has flooded the IT channel. Based on findings from the 2023 edition of the Direction of Technology Report, channel partners are increasing their offerings in many high-growth technology areas, stating these emerging technologies are top priorities for future offerings.

TD SYNNEX’s Direction of Technology Report also highlights that channel partners are anticipating a shift in the challenges they face between now and 2025. To prepare for these changes, partners should consider investing in the talent pipeline and finding support to fuel the digital transformation of their own companies.

Within this article, we will take a closer look at the benefits of investing in continuous learning and how it strategically positions partners to not only bridge the prevalent technology skills gap but also gain a competitive edge.

Mitigating the Technology Skills Gap

Research from McKinsey & Company suggests that employee skills are a core asset for a company; building and fostering these skills is challenging and requires significant investment in learning and development. In fact, McKinsey’s findings also demonstrate the most effective learning organizations provide an average of 75 hours of training per employee annually. 

In the technology industry, the skills gap highlights the mismatch between employer needs and job seeker skills. The demand for technology professionals continues to increase rapidly due to advancements in technology and digital transformation across industries. Technology is evolving quickly, leading to constant changes in skill requirements for professionals in the industry. New programming languages, frameworks, tools, and methodologies emerge frequently, making it challenging to keep pace and drive newer, innovation-focused initiatives.

Empowering Technical Expertise

Learning is always the first step toward achieving great outcomes with technology. Regardless of your position within the technology industry – whether in sales, technical roles, marketing, or operations – the significance of continuous learning and development is vital to responding to changing customer demands.

By 2025, 40% of organizations will be selling to, engaged with or provisioning on-demand services through digital ecosystems to enable new business models powered by AI everywhere capabilities, according to IDC. As organizations increasingly migrate their operations to cloud-based platforms, professionals need to be well-versed not only in the existing technologies but also in emerging trends.

Prioritizing and investing in ongoing technical education in the IT industry offers a multitude of benefits, including:

1. Staying Relevant and Competitive. Continuous learning ensures that professionals remain up-to-date with the latest advancements and trends in the rapidly evolving IT landscape. By staying ahead of the curve, partners can maintain their relevance in the market and avoid the risk of falling behind. This allows them to adapt to changing customer demands and emerging technologies, giving them a competitive edge in their respective fields.

2. Enhanced Skills and Expertise. Ongoing education and training enable professionals to acquire and develop advanced skills and expertise in areas such as cloud computing, AI, data analytics, security, and IoT. This not only enhances their individual capabilities but also allows them to create innovative solutions, optimize existing processes, and provide better services to clients. Additionally, having a deep understanding of these technologies allows sales and marketing professionals to effectively communicate their value proposition to clients, which leads to fostering trust and loyalty.

3. Future-Proofing Careers and Organizations. Investing in continuous learning is an investment in the future. By proactively expanding their knowledge and skillset, professionals future-proof their careers and position themselves as invaluable assets to their organizations. Furthermore, organizations that prioritize continuous learning cultivate a culture of innovation, adaptability, and growth – all essential qualities for long-term viability and success in the fast-paced and highly competitive IT industry.

Finding the best place to start when investing in your organization’s technical learning can be daunting. TD SYNNEX helps partners learn to navigate the ever-changing, complex IT landscape through providing insights into the marketplace, making new opportunities visible and teaching new skills.

Maximizing Potential: TD SYNNEX’s Enablement Tools for Partner Success

TD SYNNEX is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem – our purpose centers around empowering our global partners to accelerate their organization’s outcomes with technology.

Our range of enablement resources, including technical and business enrichment opportunities, focus on helping individuals and businesses amplify their strengths:

• Technical Certified Training. In technical roles, understanding the intricacies of AI and data analytics is paramount. Continuous learning facilitates the acquisition of advanced skills, empowering professionals to create innovative solutions and optimize existing processes. This not only enhances individual capabilities but also contributes to the overall progress of the organization. To help our partners with this, TD SYNNEX offers technical certified training for many of the vendors within our portfolio.
• Channel Academy Platform. Sales and marketing professionals, on the other hand, benefit from a nuanced understanding of these technologies to communicate their value proposition effectively. A continuous learning approach ensures that they can articulate the benefits of complex solutions to a diverse audience, fostering client trust and loyalty. TD SYNNEX helps partners through its online global Channel Academy platform, which is free for partners to use and hosts a wide range of technology-focused and vendor specific courses.
• Practice Builder. Equally, knowing how to take your business into new high-growth technology areas and vertical markets presents a strategic opportunity. Building new expertise and revenue streams is not an easy task. To solve for this complexity, TD SYNNEX offers Practice Builder to help IT providers evolve their business model. This is accomplished through guiding partners in a step-by-step process and providing access to essential tools, resources and contacts, ultimately accelerating their go-market strategy.

At TD SYNNEX, we recognize knowledge is powerful and key in driving business outcomes. It’s our mission simplify intricacies across the technology ecosystem for our partners, so they can focus on delivering value to their end customers.

Engage with our team today to get started with our high-growth technologies practices, solutions and services.