COLUMBIA, Md., June 21, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Telecom companies are having to revise their training programs to meet the needs of the less-educated applicants seeking positions in industry, according to a study by KC-EP, a telecom training unit of Provant, Inc. based in Columbia, Md.
"Telecoms traditionally drew college-educated individuals seeking a long-term career with a single company," said KC-EP President Kate Christensen. "But as a result of labor market and workplace shifts, that's no longer the case. Not surprisingly, training approaches that worked with the former group aren't as effective with today's new hires."
Indeed, new hires present telecoms with a formidable learning challenge, said Christensen. "Although new employees now tend to be more technology savvy and have more computer experience than their predecessors, typically they also have less education and aren't inclined towards company loyalty. Traditional training must be adjusted to a new set of needs."
Telecoms have had to make the most of a lower-quality applicant pool for some time, observed Christensen. "The industry has become less attractive to college grads as a career. And, at least until recently, a tight job market has made it hard for telecoms to compete for available talent."
Among the study's findings:
-- New hires are younger than in the past, but more comfortable with computers. Nevertheless, they have difficulty mastering increasingly complex telecom systems.
-- Unlike their predecessors, new hires don't think of telecoms as lifetime employers. Indeed, job tenure for new hires continues to decline while retention problems grow.
-- An increasing number of new hires come from other telecoms, attracted by higher salary and benefits. Although they may bring more skills to the their new position, such new hires also require "re-education" on the new systems and processes.
-- More new hires are foreign-born, which has made English-language skills a crucial component of telecom training.
The findings have long-term implications for telecom training, said Christensen. "Increasingly the task will be to leverage technology in order to make training more efficient and effective so the investment in new hires can be maximized for as long as they stay with the company. This means accelerating time-to-proficiency as much as possible. Also, training must be designed to simulate actual systems work as well as systems that may be in development."
Retaining new hires is worth a real effort and should begin with training, believes Christensen. "The worst thing a telecom can do is to convey to new hires that they're just a disposable commodity. Instead, from the outset new-hire training should help build a special bond between the company and new employee."
As always, the bottom line for telecoms is time and money, said Christensen. "Companies have to train new employees quickly and cost-effectively. This necessitates a significant investment in e-learning, knowledge management and improved business processes and tools. But at the same time telecoms have to look at their expectations about what a new hire can absorb and what the person needs in order to perform effectively on the job.
Expectations for new hires are often unrealistic, and this results in longer ramp-up times, higher attrition and rising costs overall."
Founded in 1990 and based in Columbia, KC-EP is a performance improvement consulting firm serving telecommunications and other transaction-based companies from coast to coast. The firm's clients include organizations such as Verizon, Worldcom, Concert, Fannie Mae and Pfizer. KC-EP is a unit of Boston-based Provant, Inc. a leading provider of performance improvement services and products. For more information go to www.kc-ep.com.
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CONTACT: KC-EP
Kate Christensen, President
(410) 953-6170
Phil Ryan
(212) 206-0033