IT Skills for Digital Business

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Meet the Experts

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Gina Smith, PhD

Research Director – IT Skills for Digital Business



Amid widening IT skills shortages and accelerating technology change, enterprises all over the world need better, more efficient ways to keep employees up to speed on the latest tech and tools. IDC's IT Skills for Digital Business service helps tech companies, training vendors, services firms, consulting companies, and global enterprises build powerful IT training and skilling offerings and initiatives. The research in this service analyzes training solutions, trends, and certifications. Via the service's annual Global IT Skills Survey, the research also tracks enterprise leaders' attitudes, plans, goals, and preferred tools for improving IT training outcomes.


Markets and Subjects Analyzed


  • IT education and training
  • Worldwide and U.S. certification testing and training
  • Top training providers
  • IT elearning
  • Advanced technology training
  • IT skills for cloud adoption
  • Importance of digital transformation (DX) skills to IT transformation
  • IT employment changes
  • Delivery of IT training (e.g., instructor-led classroom and technology based)
  • Corporate IT education buyers' characteristics and trends
  • High-value elements of certification programs as a marketing tool
  • Impact of IT training and certification on team performance
  • Use of GenAI to improve skills outcomes
  • Experiential learning and gamification
  • Digital adoption platforms (DAPs)
  • IT skills for AI adoption
  • Virtual instructor-led training (VILT)
  • Blended learning

Core Research


  • IDC Global IT Skills Survey
  • Worldwide and U.S. IT Education and Training Forecast
  • IDC MaturityScape: Technology Skill Development
  • IT Training Vendors Selection Priorities
  • MarketScape: IT Training and Education Vendor Comparison
  • MarketScape: Digital Adoption Platforms Vendor Comparison
  • Market Analysis Perspective: IT Training and Skilling

In addition to the insight provided in this service, IDC may conduct research on specific topics or emerging market segments via research offerings that require additional IDC funding and client investment.


Key Questions Answered


  1. How is digital transformation changing IT roles and IT skills?
  2. How does the looming global skills crisis impact enterprises and their business goals?
  3. How is IT employment changing globally?
  4. What impact does training have on organizational performance?
  5. How critical is a vendor's certification program when prospects are considering purchasing new systems?
  6. Do buyers prefer vendor-authorized training content, and are they willing to pay a premium for that?
  7. Do IT managers prefer hiring certified employees?
  8. How significant is the trend toward outsourcing IT training?
  9. How do IT training preferences change based on the age and seniority of learners?
  10. How can AI be used to improve IT training outcomes?

Companies Covered