5 Free Resources for Helping Your Team Learn Computer Science Skills

Chances are, unless you work for a very traditional small business, you organization could not function without the help of computers. While we all like to think we know our way around a computer and could troubleshoot the little problems that come up, many leaders and employees end up having to call up IT more often than they’d like, taking up precious time and resources.

Also read: Skills of the Future: 10 Skills You’ll Need to Thrive in 2020

If you’ve noticed that your employees struggle with managing the technology around them, or simply want to handle more of their tech needs themselves, it’s a great time to offer your assistance in helping them develop new computer skills.

Not only will learning basic concepts of coding and computer science help your employees become better-rounded, enhancing their knowledge could empower them to solve more problems on their own and become more productive.

Don’t have the budget to offer formal training? Here are 5 free resources you can use to help your employees become more confident with technology and learn computer science skills.

Woman computer photo created by drobotdean – www.freepik.com

1. Hour of Code

If coding seems intimidating to your team, don’t worry—there are some great resources for making the subject more approachable, including Hour of Code. Events for Hour of Code are organized all over the world during Computer Science Education week, and anyone can put together an event. It’s designed for complete beginners, and all the resources you’ll need can be found on the website. These 1 hour tutorials are a great way to introduce your team to programming concepts.

2. ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Cybersecurity is an enormous threat to businesses in every industry, and yet, most employees aren’t aware of how much risk there is—or how to mitigate it.

In 2016, $1,077 was the average demand from ransomware hackers, and data breaches are becoming a huge problem for large and small businesses alike. The ESET curriculum introduces students to the threats to cybersecurity and simple ways to help protect data.

3. Udemy – Getting Started with Google Analytics

If you want to clue your team in on just how data is used to solve organizational problems and inform business strategies, then Google Analytics training is a great place to start.

Also read: Why Are Home Learning Courses a Great Alternative to University Courses for Employers?

Udemy offers a free course, and Google also has some free modules for learning to use and understand Google Analytics. Big data programs are more complex and require in-depth knowledge (which is why 83% of data scientists saw a shortage of talent in their field in 2016), but knowing the basics is a good first step.

4. Alison.com – Introduction to Mobile and Cloud Computing

Though most enterprises still mostly use desktops and laptops, the future is mobile. Cloud computing and mobile devices are the rising stars of the tech world, and it’s helpful for your employees to have an understanding of how they work, the importance of cloud security, and to have a basic knowledge of mobile programming. $204 billion or more is spent on the cloud each year, and more workloads are being processed by the cloud with every passing day. This free training will give your team an overview of these key technologies.

5. Codeacademy

Interactive coding is the perfect way to keep things simple, especially for people who have never tried programming before. Codeacademy is a free interactive learn-to-code website that can help your employees learn a variety of different languages. Self-paced, it’s a great resource for those who need a guided experience.

6. Getting Everyone Involved

Realistically, of course, not all your employees are going to be highly skilled programmers—they all have different backgrounds and aptitudes, and some may not have much of an interest in learning to code or solve computer issues on their own.

However, as knowing the basics of programming becomes more important, and adaptability helps your company save time and money, helping your employees gain those skills can be beneficial to everyone. You might even pique someone’s interest and end up with a new member of the dev team!

Start small. Organize an hour of code, host some “lunch and learns” or carve out some time during the day for people to use on learning new computer skills. Encourage everyone to participate—it’s a great opportunity for them to gain valuable skills that can be used in their current position and beyond!