Some employers have always provided a lot more training than others, but I think they all will become more reluctant to fund it in coming years. Here's why:

If the loyalty “contract” between employer and employee is not quite extinct, then it is seriously endangered. Decades of shareholder value, human resources, re-engineering, and other changes in the culture of business have seen to that. The number of firms that provide jobs for life, and the number of people who really intend to stay, is dwindling to zero.

IT people always did change jobs more than most industries, but the new Generations X and Y are even more job-mobile than IT people traditionally have been.

Employers will see an increasing churn of employees, which means less return on their training investment before that investment walks.

The cost of that investment is increasing. We still have all the proprietary training courses for products and methodologies, but we have also seen the rise of professional certifications which are a good thing for IT professionalism, but don’t come cheap.

On the other hand, ongoing training is of increasing importance as rate of change increases. It is no longer enough to get a tertiary qualification, then coast on it until retirement. Continual professional development is essential to stay relevant and employable, in IT more than anywhere.

So who pays?

Employees will find it harder to get a boss to pay. This is not because the boss is a #@$*&%... well it might be, but it also might be simple game strategy. Why should they pay for your training when they can wait for churn to bring them already-qualified job applicants?

As more and more firms twig that they are funding the industry with their training programs, and as more of their competitors start winding back to exploit them, they will be asking staff to have a stake in the game. Investment in training still makes sense, but it will come with provisos. They will ask staff to agree to an indenture for some period, or to pay part of the costs. Expect more employers paying only if you pass!

Therefore it is time you thought about your own training program. It is essential for any professional career and a good idea for anyone who does not intend to be doing the same job until they die.

Create a short list of qualifications and certifications that are important for your career. Job advertisements are a good place to start.

Consider which training you can get your employers to pay for, or at least contribute to. Start asking for this at review time, while you still can.