In a recent MarketScape report, IDC reported that 80 percent of IT managers believe effective training is critical to the success of a project. At the same time, nearly a third of IT budgets are set aside for education.

There is a gap between the perception of education’s importance and how companies train their employees.

HP Software Education Services has found the following three issues causing the above mentioned gap, including:

• IT training plans are based on current, not future requirements.
• Training can be inflexible and unstructured.
• Time necessary to train employees.

Professionally trained IT staff make fewer errors and spend more time on crucial tasks than poorly educated users. To help close the education gap, HP Software is introducing Adoption Readiness Tool suite (ART), a simulation training software.

“The goal is to provide best practice knowledge,”  said Susan Merriman, Worldwide Lead of Emerging Technologies, Education, HP Software.

ART provides customers with a platform to build an IT documentation, training and support strategy.

The suite provides task oriented job aids as well as eLearning courses providing lessons, simulations and assessments for end users. ART provides capability to do customized training courses and aids IT departments and staff from the planning process through the implementation and on ensuring increased user adoption via staff training.

The software does not have a mobile app but can be accessed through the Web on the iPad or smartphone.

Customers can install the software or HP can host it. Assessments are embedded in the content so managers can see how well users are comprehending the technology. It is available in eight languages. Eventually 30 languages will be supported.

I have written often about the demands on IT to do everything faster with ever more complicated systems. ART is intended to help alleviate that complexity.

All the major software vendors offer training. But what really works? Any opinions?