Q & A
EDITOR ’ S
HOW CAN RESELLERS BRIDGE THE SKILLS GAP THROUGH PARTNER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMMES ?
The role of channel leadership is steadily gathering momentum in the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) mostly due to the fact that the regionspecific business environment has forced marketing channels to move towards vertical integration and long-term relationships with channel members . Regional resellers are now moving with speed to ensure that they quickly identify and single out any imminent deficiencies that might impede channel members ’ perceptions , motivation , abilities and environmental conditions that could adversely affect their overall performance .
That said , channel partner programmes should be designed so participants of all sizes can easily deliver the most compelling and customised solutions to their customers . A good partner programme recognises and rewards achievement that extends beyond revenue generation , ensuring it is not only the largest partners that benefit .
The tech talent shortage has solution providers in the EMEA channel scrambling to ensure that employees brush up on the latest skills and technologies that facilitate business agility . Among the domains in the highest demand : cloud computing , Machine Learning , data science , software engineering and cybersecurity . Industry pundits share tips for fruitful partner training , certifications , reskilling and cross-training schemes aimed at bridging the skills gap and how to build the next generation of channel leaders .
BOB AOUN , REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR , MEA , POLY
Resellers , globally not just in MEA , should go above and beyond to create successful and sustainable partnerships . Top on the agenda should be to foster stronger and mutually beneficial collaboration .
Finding and retaining the right IT talent by resellers is hampering partner training and certification and the trickle-down effect is being felt and mirrored by the not-sorosy sales figures . To remedy this situation , solution providers should , among other things , re-evaluate their channel training needs . Different categories of resellers need different types of training to market their products better . By determining what type of training works best for different resellers , vendors and distributors can help their partners to overcome any challenges .
In the wake of a global health crisis , upskilling , reskilling and training has become a necessity and to an extent , a survival tactic . Emerging issues and trends across industries coupled with the ballooning uptake of automation and integration have driven many executives to either upskill , reskill or train to acquire more knowledge in a bid to remain relevant .
Training , reskilling or upskilling should not be left to one party . It ’ s a shared responsibility with all the parties ( vendors , distributors and resellers ) involved playing a crucial part in ensuring that channel talents acquire the right skills set to meet emerging needs of the consumer and market trends .
Among the domains in the highest demand in MEA and globally : cloud computing , Machine Learning , data science , software engineering and cybersecurity . Cloud computing , Machine Learning , data science , software engineering and cybersecurity are some of the notable growth drivers for many
organisations . Emerging market trends and the ever-evolving customer preferences dictate the use and deployment of databacked marketing strategies to generate leads and boost conversions .
For the relationship between the vendor and channel partner to be successful and effective , sufficient partner training is required . While most partner training sessions are delivered in person , the prevailing global health conditions have disrupted the classroom style partner training and certification significantly .
In view of these emerging issues , Poly has been providing a unified portal with easy , real-time access to all our assets , training , tools and content that our channel partners need to successfully go to market .
Looking ahead , as new IT roles emerge and skills requirements change , demand will definitely outstrip the current pool of skilled workers . To counter this emerging challenge , resellers and distributors will need to invest more in enabling their workforce to reskill , upskill and train .
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 42 51