What IT means to us: Training
Experts from three leading corporate communications companies talk to Skillset about what IT means for their business - here, focusing on training and appropriate technology.
- Richard Cobourne, Director, On Screen Productions Ltd
- Stephen Watson, Managing Director, and Chris Templeton, Producer, CTN Ltd
- Paul Tarplee, Chief Technical Officer, Twofour Group Ltd
Training
Richard Cobourne: "It's just brief training in the workplace. Like 'press that button; do this.' We've got a great building full of intelligent people who are very fast on the uptake. So we don't have to spend a lot of time repeating things. It's very difficult to find training at the level you need for a job - the clever shortcuts and so on. There is a huge shortage of top-end trainers."
Stephen Watson: "Each month we run the CTN Lab. That's a period of time we make available in everybody's diary to look at a new technique or technology. Our basic approach is to demystify things. We want technology to be accessible."
Paul Tarplee: "It's very rare we send somebody out on a training course; we almost always train hands-on in the workplace. Recently, we trained some junior editors and edit assistants in Final Cut Pro. We've been taking them away from their jobs three and four at a time, bringing a trainer in and giving them courses. They're like the paper-based courses, but ours are carried out by having people in front of editing machines, with the trainer helping them to use the package."
Appropriate technology
Richard Cobourne: "Don't get blinded by the bright lights of new technology - use what's appropriate. In my experience if there's a failing with our competitors, it's that they think they're in the 'technology' business. We don't. We're in the communications business."
Chris Templeton: "Overall, our software and hardware are defined by being state-of-the-art - necessarily so, because of client demands on the way information is received."
Paul Tarplee: "We have escaped from the tyranny of endless, expensive software upgrades. There is no longer the need for us - or other companies - to jump to the latest Microsoft operating system or latest version of Word. I think we've reached the point where we have all the speed we need, all the functionality on the desktop and also reliability. If anything drives companies to upgrade, it won't be the need for newer technology. It will be gaining access to a workforce that can use your particular in-house versions and being able to communicate with clients."