DALLAS, TX – January, 2017 – Most businesses believe there is a scarcity of skilled Linux and cloud technology professionals in the workforce and that current professionals are not getting the training they need, according to a recent survey by Linux Academy, the foremost online Linux and cloud training platform and community.
When Linux Academy surveyed nearly 900 IT professionals on Linux and cloud technology training trends, 76 percent said there is a global shortage of talent with proper Linux and cloud technology skills; the majority of respondents said their companies require them to have various levels of regular training on Linux and cloud technologies; and more than a third of respondents thought the IT professionals they’ve worked with have minimal understanding of or no experience with these technologies.
“Companies should pay attention to these survey findings, particularly with the continued proliferation of open source and cloud technologies,” said Anthony James, founder, Linux Academy. “The advancement of these technologies is clearly outpacing the pool of professionals who are able to service and manage them. By the time professionals receive the training they need, the technologies have progressed, making their training obsolete. This underscores not only the need for access to timely and affordable training, but also for companies to further invest their employee’s skills.”
The two greatest impediments to receiving training on Linux and cloud technologies are a lack of time and money, with 38 percent paying up to $500 for one course. A combined 77 percent of respondents said their companies only spend up to $25,000 annually on Linux and cloud training for their employees. Sixty percent of companies have between one and 20 employees managing these technologies.
When it comes to recruiting Linux and cloud professionals, a combined 72 percent of respondents indicated there is little talent to pull from in their area, and those who are there are hard to find; sixty-seven percent either said they either always or sometimes have a hard time recruiting these professionals. The greatest challenges companies have to recruiting are a general lack of skilled talent and lack of resources to find and attract them. It takes most companies four to six weeks to fill Linux and cloud related jobs.
The training topics IT professionals believed to be the most beneficial were Linux, AWS, and DevOps. While answers varied by industry – which included technology, healthcare, finance, government, manufacturing, education, business/corporate, retail, and others – most respondents believe that formal certifications such as RHCSA and RHCE are somewhat important to their vertical.
“The findings suggest that specific technology skill sets and related certifications play an important role in professional development. Online training providers, which help professionals learn these skills at a faster, more economical pace and in a practical, real-world environment, are best-positioned to help close the talent gap,” added James.
Linux Academy conducted this survey in November, 2016. For a complete copy of the results, contact Matthew Pugh at mpugh@weisspr.com.
About Linux Academy
Linux Academy redefines continuing education for today’s IT business professional. Through self-paced courses, hands-on server labs, personal access to expert instructors and an ever-growing learning library, Linux Academy caters to beginners and experts alike. Courses are geared toward certifications in Linux, AWS, OpenStack, DevOps, Azure and Big Data, offering content that digs deeper to answer nuanced challenges of the latest emerging technologies. Linux Academy provides more value per dollar than any other IT training program. To enroll or to explore enterprise tools and group rates, visit: www.linuxacademy.com.
