Indeed, a recent study showed that DevOps roles need human skills such as collaboration, communication, and social adeptness. It was highlighted that there aren’t enough IT resource skills in the industry, which can become an important challenge for companies trying to evolve. Technical skills are vital but they need to be accompanied by human skills, innovation, and transformation.

Hence, having talent and technical skills drives competitiveness and organizational growth. Continuous upskilling is essential to tackle issues faced in the industry and continue growing.

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Indeed, Amazon is set to partner with TakingITGloal to develop this new school curriculum initiative called Your Voice is Power. The program will facilitate connections with Indigenous experts and will give students the opportunity to remix beats while learning to code. Students will also be able to participate in the curriculum and experience how computer science, music, and entrepreneurship can advance equity.

In order to do so, students will be using EarSketch to compose a musical remix using songs from Indigenous artists by using the skills they learned during the course. This program is designed to inspire, educate, and prepare young adults from underrepresented communities to have a career in computer science.

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Indeed, it was found out that 65% of respondents stated to be looking for a new position and 88% of executives witnessed comparatively high turnover. Executives also noticed that the competitive war for talent has never been more fierce as more and more employees are now looking for flexible, remote work.

Hence, around 50% of executives reported being planning to change processes to become less dependent on employee institutional knowledge in the next 18 months. This would be to keep operations running despite the high percentage of resignations and turnover. By using processes like automation, companies will be allowing employees to shift their focus from time-consuming rote tasks to more strategic activities.

The goal will be to save executives from spending too much time and money on training new employees on routine tasks.

Moreover, executives are also concerned about the cybersecurity of these new hybrid work models. Some of the concerns include digital upskilling, attempting to balance the tech-driven experience of remote and on-site workers, as well as increased shadow IT occurrences. With this lack of talents, companies do not possess the skills needed to deploy robust network security to secure the new hybrid work model.

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It was then found out that many are working on robotics, mini-apps, and computer vision. Another important group was interested in cryptocurrencies, blockchain applications outside of cryptocurrency, drones, biometrics for ID verification, 5G, and quantum computing.

Yet, the study reported that despite the fact that many developers are fascinated by a wide range of technologies, only a few have actually adopted them into their work. The barriers to their adoption are technological, but also social, cultural, and legislative.

However, it is expected that the demand for robotics and A.I. specialists will increase dramatically over the next few years.

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Indeed, it was found out that despite 59% of employees receiving cybersecurity training from their companies,  61% failed simple cybersecurity tests. It was reported that most employees are most knowledgeable in laptop security, but do not know how to secure sensitive data and recognise harmful files.

Regarding the tests, the highest failure rates were stated to be in Information services and data and Software. Besides, 74% of respondents who answered all incorrectly declared to feel safe from cybersecurity threats. The study showed that 33% of employees saved their passwords in their browsers, putting their network security at risk. Overall, remote employees said they felt feel less safe from threats than office employees.

Even though the training had a positive impact on some aspects of employees’ cybersecurity habits, such as protecting their computers and correct password management, they were not consistent across all areas. Hence, it is vital that businesses these cybersecurity training programmes address all vulnerabilities that could threaten companies.

Finally, 52% of employees declared that they would learn more from having cybersecurity training presented in a simpler and less technical way.

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The report stated that database/query, spreadsheets, analytical/scientific software, and medical software skills are the most in-demand skills for the highest-paying and most likely to hire industries.

Moreover, it noted that Artificial Intelligence skills were on the rise as 86% of companies declared it would be of most importance in 2021. Besides, knowing spreadsheets and email are two sought-after skills, as well as database management. Analytical and scientific software skills are also some of the strongest skills required in enterprises today.

Hence, the study showcased that the top three software skills most needed are database user interface and query, spreadsheets, and analytical or scientific.

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The university is offering 125 fully-funded places on its ‘Introduction to Data Science with Python’ short course. It will be focused on providing individuals with the skills to thrive in a data-driven economy and help improve the skills of individuals and workforces of Scotland.

This course will teach the main techniques and issues involved in data science, including how to use Python as a tool for working with data, especially as it is becoming more and more popular. It will also cover ethical and legal issues alongside the practical application of the data science lifecycle stages (data cleaning, transformation, analysis, visualization, and reporting).

The course is working with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Upskilling Fund. The fully-funded places will be given in priority to people who are currently unemployed or whose jobs are threatened. The SFC will be a huge contribution in tackling the skills shortage in Scotland.

The course will be delivered online and will provide learners with a flexible option of professional development to upskill and build expertise.

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As part of the MoU deal, Xebia Academy Global will design the course syllabus and create study modules containing high-quality and industry-specific content, along with placement opportunities for graduates.

Xebia Academy Global

In addition, Xebia will also help strengthen the university’s faculty by building a team comprised of knowledgeable educators and subject matter experts.

According to a press release, the B.Tech programme will focus mainly on the future-oriented field of DevOps. Its course structure has been designed in such a way that it helps address the workforce skills gap by providing students with relevant knowledge that helps improves their skills.

The course development structure, which comprises of course materials, assignments, and training sessions, will be piloted under the guidelines and expertise of Xebia’s DevOps specialists.

“In a world where the development of societies and nations is based on the symbiosis of technology, the knowledge, and applications of DevOps, are soon going to become an indispensable part of learning for engineering students,” said Dr.P. Prakash, Vice Chancellor of SRM University.

From inventing customised solutions for businesses to developing algorithms that help in analysing consumer behaviour, the future is unthinkable without this disruptive technology,” he added.  

Next-generation skills

Through the agreement, Xebia aims to equip students with next-generation skills by providing them with “hands-on-training”. It will not only equip the next generation of students with the skills to flourish, but it will also help enhance their perspective on how they approach critical thinking, problem-solving and handle real-world problems.

“Xebia is committed to leverage industries and academia with cutting-edge technologies and training programs. By introducing this program to the students, we are going to address the skills shortage in the industry and make the students job-ready,” said Brijesh Kohli, the Director of Xebia Academy Global.

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SolarWinds new study, entitled Trends Report 2019: Skills for Tech Pros of Tomorrow is based on a survey fielded in December 2018, which yielded responses from 100 practitioners, managers, and directors in the UK from public-and private-sector small, mid-size, and enterprise companies.

SolarWinds findings

Their annual report, which examines the state of skills and career development for technology professionals, reveals that they only have one foot grounded in today’s hybrid IT realities while also setting their sights on new technologies.

Specifically, tech professionals in DevOps, have prioritised skills in systems and infrastructure management, security management, and hybrid IT deployment and management over the last 12 months.

However, in the next three years, these professionals plan to improve their skills in security management and hybrid IT, while eyeing careers paths in areas like data science and analytics.

According to SolarWinds study, 70% of UK tech professionals need to develop their skill in order to confidently manage environments by 2024, but nearly 80% said they lack the time, training, and funding, the report said.

Risks of performance

This stark reality ultimately put businesses at risk of performance and competitive advantage losses, making it important for DevOps teams, developers, and WPMs, to develop their skills and careers in the next couple of years.

“Recent history has proven that there is a direct correlation between technology and business performance,” said Joe Kim, executive vice president, and global chief technology officer, SolarWinds.

“The results of this year’s IT Trends Report highlight that businesses need to focus even more on developing these professionals charged with running and pioneering technologies for the businesses. By removing day-to-day barriers, arming technology pros with the right technology and management tools, and prioritising skills and career development in the IT budget, tech pros can be better equipped for the future and help with business growth.”

“The findings are also in line with our view that the most critical problem we need to help tech pros solve today is the reality of the hybrid IT landscape—this applies to all tech pros whether on-premises, managing hybrid infrastructures, SaaS-based, or MSPs,” added Kim.

“The way SolarWinds has always addressed and will continue to address these realities is through our deep connection to tech pros across the IT infrastructure. We are committed to understanding the needs of our customers and making their jobs easier as business technology continues to evolve.”

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In fact, according to the report, the top three most hired-for jobs are in technology: DevOps engineer, enterprise account executive, and front-end engineer. This shows just how extensively digital disruption is affecting the international employment landscape.

However, whilst DevOps is firmly in the business zeitgeist, the job title can be somewhat vague and the responsibilities of the role can differ from company to company. Indeed, some engineers argue that “DevOps” is more of a company-wide culture or mindset rather than a single job and that DevOps engineers’ responsibilities can overlap with other types of engineers, such as site reliability experts.

Tackling the pace of change

“Change is the only constant”; this well-worn phrase has special significance for developers. The role of the DevOps engineer is constantly morphing, and as enterprises are increasingly pressured to move quickly, developers are finding themselves taking on more responsibility than ever before.

Indeed, this need for speed is a driving force behind many of the changes we’ve seen in software development, and most importantly in the creation of the DevOps function. Where testers, developers and quality assurance (QA) teams once had distinctly different jobs to do, the functions are quickly merging and streamlined DevOps teams are now tasked both with making apps and services and ensuring they are of the highest quality.

The job has also become increasingly complex. For example, continuous testing for digital now calls for the capability to deal with and leverage mobile and progressive web, augmented and virtual reality and artificial intelligence. And as the pace of change marches on, this ability to flex with new developments is crucial.

But what is the secret to dealing with new tech innovations, while breaking down silos and bridging the gap between development and operations teams? And what are the key skills that developers need to make this happen?

Leadership

At Perfecto, we believe the most successful DevOps teams (particularly those who are striving to reach test automation maturity) are able to ask themselves – and answer – the following simple questions:

• What is wrong with my test code?
• What is wrong with my lab (be it on-premise or in the cloud)?
• What is wrong with my execution and orchestration?

Asking these fundamental questions calls for an approach where developers continually review their processes, spot faults early, and adapt to change. But calling for changes, and altering testing and development processes isn’t always straightforward, particularly when it involves changing relatively mature strategies or deploying teams differently.

The most successful developers are those with strong leadership skills and the ability to confidently and quickly make a decision in the hustle-bustle of a DevOps environment. They need to be able to react and adapt to change.

Indeed, the ever-changing nature of code means that it’s critical for developers to quickly make decisions on how to fix or change any incoherent or broken elements of code, allowing teams to maintain momentum in a build and to add or update code to power new releases or updates. 

A commitment to collaboration and flexibility

The aim of DevOps is to improve the relationship between development and IT operations – advocating better communication and collaboration between the two units is key. This may seem simple on paper, but changing long-standing processes is difficult, and so successful developers have a crucial role in bringing the two teams together.

Anyone working in DevOps must be flexible, able to move fast in an unpredictable and ever-changing world. Engineers must be comfortable moving from one area of software construction to another, be it integration, testing, releasing or deployment. And, of course, Continuous Integration requires the technical skills to manage change quickly and efficiently.

Flexibility is needed in coding, too – to be a successful and effective DevOps engineer you must have the ability to continuously develop and integrate new systems and operations into the code.

A gamut of technical skills

Talk of coding leads us to the discussion around more technical skills, which are varied and difficult in the DevOps environment. Test Driven Development (TDD) for example, is the reverse of the traditional approach of software development where the code is written first and then tested. In a TDD scenario testing is done first, and then, the code is written – a totally different experience and method to learn.

For many, behaviour driven development (BDD) is the key to fixing a defect/bug at an early stage of any development cycle. And Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) is an important technique now used to bring customers into the test design process before coding has even begun.

Indeed, TDD, BDD & ATDD are the terms which have revolutionised the tester’s world in Agile. Learning these skills, and keeping up to date with technical developments in coding and development is vital to the success of any individual working in DevOps, and importantly to wider teams.

In addition to these specific development techniques, broader technology innovations like Machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are poised to change the nature of software development and will call upon DevOps to hone new skills. The need to continually update apps brings so many challenges such as needing to analyse more data more quickly, while their margin of error also decreases constantly. By using ML and AI testing solutions, developers can reduce and, in some cases, eliminate false negatives and continuously maintain test code. These tools, as well as predictive analytics, offer a way to address these challenges by being able to process data much more quickly and thoroughly. Today’s tedious and unreliable tasks can be improved, but only if developers can harness the potential of data and turn it into actionable insights.

Whilst DevOps might be the most sought after role for enterprises, the skills and abilities under the hood of this “catch-all” job title are pretty complex.

The technical skills needed to succeed (such as BDD, ATDD, and general coding abilities) come hand in hand with soft skills that leaders often overlook (e.g. the need to be decisive and assertive in teams).

Ultimately, the development world has fundamentally changed over the last decade, and there’s little doubt anymore that DevOps has evolved from being the bright, shiny object that everyone talks about to being the necessary reality. With this in mind, it is important that organisations spend the time and money in not just finding the best people, with the right skills, but investing in their training and development too.

Written By Eran Kinsbruner, the lead technical evangelist at Perfecto

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