Abstract:

Globalisation and rapid technological advancement have resulted in fundamental changes to the workplace. ICT dependence has become an integral part of organisations’ workplace environment. The professionals on whose work much of this depends are therefore required to maintain professional relevance in a field where change is constant.

Workplace learning has been used by professionals to keep up-to-date with their field. Challenges such as limited training budgets and lack of time however prevent some IT professionals from engaging in structured or formal workplace learning activities. Self-directed learning has therefore emerged as a way of mitigating these challenges. The literature on workplace learning of IT professionals is lacking in terms of depth and breadth.

Activity theory forms the theoretical underpinning of this paper. The study took place in the IT unit of a leading Caribbean financial organisation. All staff and middle managers (50 persons) were invited to complete an online anonymous questionnaire. Thirty-six (36) respondents completed the questionnaire. In addition to demographic data, questions enquired about frequency of use of workplace learning activities, preference for specific activities, motivation and barriers to workplace learning.

The study revealed that while Internet searching was the most frequently used tool, company-sponsored face-to-face training was the overall preferred workplace learning strategy. On-demand online tutorials and searching the Internet together were preferred by respondents for SDL.

This paper does not attempt to provide generalisations on the topic. However it seeks to further enrich the understanding of the issue of IT professionals’ workplace learning. The emphasis is on IT professionals in a corporate setting with focus on self-directed learning.

Keywords:

IT professionals, workplace learning, self-directed learning, continuing professional development.