Strategies to Attract and Retain Top IT Talent: Education, Culture, and Flexibility Lead the Way

Federico Pienovi, Chief Business Officer & CEO of New Markets at Globant, emphasizes the importance of innovative strategies to attract and retain top IT talent in a competitive job market

What strategies can companies implement to attract top IT talent in a competitive job market?
Today, there is a significant trend of companies taking an active role in education. Technological advancements mean that the knowledge acquired during one’s studies needs to be continuously updated. Therefore, companies must promote training programs that translate into better performance.

At Globant, AI plays a crucial role in developing a diverse workforce through skilling and reskilling programs. For example, we offer an internal employee development program called Globant University, which provides more than 5,000 training sessions focused on emerging technologies such as AI. These sessions are available in various formats to cater to different learning styles.

Additionally, Globant utilizes AI-powered platforms such as “My Growth,” which outlines different career paths and the skills needed to progress, and “Learning Match,” which connects employees to learn new skills across practices. Beyond upskilling, technology is altering certain tasks, and companies must provide opportunities for reskilling individuals who can contribute value from other areas. In the IT industry, the challenge of continuously training professionals is even more urgent. In a challenging era like the one we are living in, organizations must be agents of change, empowering talent to have positive impacts both internally and externally.

How does workplace culture influence the retention of IT professionals?
For a global company like Globant, one of the main challenges in retaining AI talent is creating a common culture across teams working in different geographies. It’s not only about finding the best AI talent, training them, retaining them, and offering them a clear career plan, but also about fostering a sense of belonging that goes beyond the economic aspect.

With a diverse workforce from more than 35 countries across 5 continents, we need to ensure our employees feel connected, safe, and respected at work. When a company culture is well-defined, resignations can decrease by up to 50%. Achieving this requires understanding the values of our employees and finding a purpose that involves them in building a better world. Our Be Kind program is a great example of this. Be Kind is a pathway where Globant’s DNA stands out, promoting our culture of diversity, working towards a sustainable future, and propelling individual growth and well-being for all our Globers.

What role does offering professional development and training opportunities play in retaining IT talent?
In 2020, the World Economic Forum estimated that 50% of employees would need to improve their skills in the next five years. This forecast has proven accurate, especially with the rise of Generative AI. For instance, prompt engineering—a profession focused on formulating queries for natural language processing models—has emerged as a critical role.

Many IT companies are now training their employees in this area, but the challenge remains to stay ahead of future technological advances and prepare our talent accordingly. Although we cannot predict every technological shift, we can foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning to adapt effectively. Upskilling and reskilling are fundamental aspects of Globant’s learning culture.

Our online Campus, Globant University, serves as a digital ecosystem designed to enhance our talent’s skills, capacity, and performance. This platform centralizes the learning experience, offering resources, content, training, webinars, and more to support the continuous development of our employees. An interesting aspect of our approach is that we ensure all Globers are AI certified.

This means that 100% of our employees are trained to identify opportunities for AI adoption, enhancing efficiency and increasing business impact. By embedding AI training into our workforce development strategy, we not only stay at the forefront of technological advancements but also drive greater business value and innovation.

How can businesses leverage remote and hybrid work models to attract IT professionals?
Globant, a global company with teams and pods distributed across 5 continents, has always prioritized remote and hybrid work, understanding the importance of flexibility and work-life balance for its employees. We offer our employees the choice to work remotely or from one of our offices, ensuring the best opportunities for talent regardless of location.