More than one-third (36 percent) of IT professionals in the UK have not received any technical training through their employer in the last three years, according to new research by freelance website Upwork. This is despite 97 percent stating that training in the latest technical skills is essential for them to do their job effectively.

The benefits of a workforce with up-to-date skills is also recognised by 95 percent of IT managers.  However, they face a number of challenges when it comes to employee training. Seven in ten (70 percent) admit that the speed of technology means it’s almost impossible to train their staff in the latest skills and techniques such as JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS and Node.js as well as NoSQL database structuring and analytics related to the rise of big data within organisations. Other challenges include budget restrictions (49 percent), time limitations (44 percent) and prioritising other business responsibilities (33 percent), which all hold back training efforts. 

An inability to keep up with new skills has a significant impact on employees and businesses. Nearly nine in ten (89 percent) IT workers would consider leaving their current organisation for better training opportunities elsewhere. For some IT businesses, this is already a reality — more than one in four (28 percent) has lost an employee due to a lack of training opportunities available. Many see a solution to this prevalent issue, with more than half (51 percent) claiming that hiring freelance talent with specific expertise would relieve some of their skills and training burdens. 

“IT managers recognise the value in having a well-trained workforce but other business priorities and tight budgets mean training is often neglected,” said Rich Pearson, SVP of Marketing at Upwork. “As a result, workers often feel stifled in their jobs, which can have negative effects on performance, morale and loyalty. To alleviate these pressures in-house teams face, businesses shouldn’t be afraid to look beyond their four walls and capitalize on independent professionals with proven expertise in the specific technical skills they need.” 

“Both training and finding staff with the right skill set is a real challenge for a growing business like ours,” said Philip Lilliefelth, Pansofica Founder. “It’s imperative we keep up with evolving skills but upskilling our staff can be expensive and time-consuming, especially given the pace of change. Using freelance specialists who take it upon themselves to stay up-to-date with technical skills solves this problem, we are able to source the desired skill set immediately without major overheads – which in many cases is more suitable for start ups with budget constraints.”