The organisation which provides IT services for the Ministry of Defence is offering its staff the chance to gain a formal Microsoft qualification in IT support.
The Defence Communications Service Agency introduced the training programme which leads to the Microsoft Desktop Support Technician certificate following the MoD’s decision to outsource its IT infrastructure.
The agency hopes the training programme, dubbed “Fit to stay, fit to go”, will encourage staff to stay in their IT roles, while preparing those who want to leave with a marketable qualification for civilian life.
“We were concerned there would be an exodus of IT staff applying for work in other parts of the Ministry of Defence. We thought one of the best ways to keep them was to give them training and development, ” said Craig Parry, senior instructor.
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The scheme has led to a dramatic improvement in morale in the organisation, said Parry, and is now being taken up by other parts of the MoD, including the RAF and the Royal Navy.
“For us, it has had a lot of benefits in people’s attitude,” said Parry. “They can see there is a management commitment to provide training through the transition and boost their skills. There is a higher staff morale.”
