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1 in 4 of adults say digital skills required by jobs in technology sector were not presented when studying at school, college, university, or work.
Gaps in digital skills are still holding companies back from the agility they need to realise their business ambitions. Across all industry sectors there is an urgent need to improve operational efficiencies, sustainability, and profitability through data driven insights.
In our nationwide survey of 18–34-year old’s, we found that that young people in the UK are unlikely to secure highly sort after roles such as software developers and engineers due to an outdated national curriculum and non-inclusive approaches in recruiting talent.
Over half (53%) of UK’s young adults aged between 18-34 said that “Jobs in technology requiring digital skills were not presented when studying” or “the [digital skills] career path is unclear.”
Perceived barriers to access are holding back perspective new talent from pursuing a career in tech, with 4 in 5 of those surveyed expressing an interest in pursuing a career in the technology sector – but the lack of how to navigate into these roles, coupled with access to such roles is prolonging the digital skills gap crisis. Retraining talent in tech related jobs is considered ‘too expensive’ despite opportunity for career progression. Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents believe that it is too expensive to train or upskill into a technology related job.
Less talk more walk
There’s no easy fix to plug the digital skills gap. The solution must be a longer-term strategy – which encompasses a closer tie between academia, industry, and businesses – to help educate, upskill future employees and foster a more diverse talent pool.
How are we addressing this challenge? Kubrick creates its own specialist workforce by providing it’s people with an upfront intensive salaried training period, delivered by our industry titans, each with an average of 16+ years’ experience before they start onsite with our world-leading clients across all industries. Our programme gives a diverse pool of consultants the opportunity to accelerate their own career in an industry that might have not been accessible to them - and as a result businesses also benefit as they have the right resources to innovate and thrive.
Our programme is accessible to anyone around the UK, and it supports the UK Government’s “Levelling Up” initiative which looks at closing the gap between the top performing and other areas in pay, employment opportunities and productivity.
We recognise that our contribution is only a small piece of a larger puzzle. As the UK economy looks to post-pandemic recovery in a digital-first world, the changing nature of jobs poses challenges for every industry. 1 in 6 U.K. workers have low or no digital skills. By 2030, 9 out of 10 workers will need to learn new skills to do their jobs, at a cost of £1.3 billion a year – and in the U.S. alone this figure is expected to be even higher at loss of $8.5 trillion.
Digital literacy and capabilities are vital for achieving not only economic prosperity – but also virtual access to public services and social well-being. Action must be taken now to avoid an even wider skills gap.
To find out more visit www.kubrickgroup.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Download the full report here.
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