The Importance of Computer Training

Update: This post was corrected to reflect that Andrew Speaker knew he had tuberculosis before traveling to Europe.

The case of Andrew Speaker, the personal injury lawyer from Atlanta who was allowed into the United States despite a computer warning to a border guard to detain him at all costs, and a report released today on Philadelphia's Department of Human Services may seem like two unrelated events. But they both have one theme in common: Information systems many times are only as good as the skills of the users or their desire to use it.

Most of you know about Speaker, who flew to Europe knowing he had contracted a deadly form of tuberculosis, and despite warnings about his condition, was permitted entry into the United States despite a warning on a computer screen telling a U.S. border guard to stop him at all costs. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has called for an investigation into the case, and suggests that long hours and lack of training may be behind the lapse in judgment. "These agents are our nation's first line of defense and we need to make sure they get the support and training they deserve," according to cnsnews.com.

In Philadelphia, a panel of experts ruled that children in the city have died as a result of neglect from the city's agency in charge of taking care of at-risk children, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article. At the end of the article, the Inquirer reports:

The panel also called on DHS to do a better job of analyzing its performance and become more open with the public.

The department had piles of data in expensive computer systems, but made almost no effort to analyze it, the panel found.

"It's all there, but it never really comes together," said [DHS Commissioner Arthur C. Evans Jr.]

Training, management experts will tell you, is one of the first budget items to go when financial cuts are made and it is commonly cited as a problem in IT project failures. But it's also one of the most important steps in assuring programs are successful. The Government Accountability Office recently concluded that the U.S. Census Bureau's training program for enumerators was deficient.

We'd like to know what you think. Click the comment link below and let us know what kind of computer training, including data analysis, you have received and tell us if it was helpful, and if not, what should be done.