Could you help reduce the digital skills deficit - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Could you help reduce the digital skills deficit - Viewpoint - careers advice blog I recently read with interest a Hays Journal article, which outlined how the digital economy is one of the key areas that has the potential to improve productivity rates and international competitiveness. However, worryingly, talent is in short supply. As concerning as this was to read, I was not entirely surprised. This concern has been fed back to me by clients on a daily basis. The situation is only set to escalate as traditional organisations continue to focus on digital transformation projects and native digital companies continue to scale up their operations. The main skills gaps will be in areas such as software development, data management, analytics, digital marketing and cyber security. Therefore, to meet extra demand, we must build a pipeline of talent to power the digital economy. This is a complex challenge in which government, industry and education stakeholders have a role to play: Government In the short term, business needs to work with government to ensure that we can supply oversees talent to work in these roles. There are opportunities to lobby local government on having more fluid visa processes for people who are highly digitally skilled. Japan can be used as a shining example. Our 2016 Global Skills Index found that here, labour market participation improved slightly as a result of flexible policies surrounding skilled inward migration, particularly within the IT sector. I believe that if countries can attract this talent it will have a two-fold effect. Firstly, it will reinforce their position as global players in this sector. Secondly, it will lead to more diverse organisations with culturally rich, innovative workforces. Organisations Organisations have to change their recruiting processes and broaden their requirements in order to hire based on potential. Upskilling employees is an extremely effective way of cultivating talented and dedicated individuals. A buoyant contract market has made it increasingly difficult for companies to hire for the services that they require, as there is little incentive for a candidate to move from one organisation to another to do the same role. Organisations should recognise this and focus on competencies as opposed to current skills. For example, Australia now recruits more than half of its IT professionals from outside the sector. They have recognised that digital competency is already present within candidates from non-IT industries. Moreover these people can be trained, whilst bringing creativity and entrepreneurship to their new careers. Those candidates who already have desirable experience are likely to move for reasons other than basic salary. Many demand flexible working, the opportunity to work in an emerging market or some equity within the organisation. These are key considerations to factor in as you position yourselves as the employer of choice. Education In order to broaden the talent pipeline in the meantime, there are a number of educational initiatives around the world that have proven to be successful. Work placements and internships for those at undergraduate level are effective, because individuals that have this experience are widely accepted to be more “work ready” when they graduate. Conversion courses are also popular for graduates who haven’t studied in a relevant discipline, or for individuals seeking a career change. This approach is dependent on good relationships between educational institutions and business, plus a shared view on the value of work experience. Employers have to be prepared to offer such placements and more importantly ensure that this is a positive experience that adds value to the candidate. The best employers in this sector have higher rates of candidate retention once they have completed their course. Moreover, we need to give children exposure at an early age to the digital world. In the UK for example, the government introduced coding to the curriculum for all five year olds. It will be interesting to see the effects of this over the next 15-20 years. Outside of formal education there has been excellent work in promoting the digital sector in the form of organisations such as Coderdojo. What started off as a coding club and has now broadened into a movement that encourages 7-17 year olds to explore technology in an informal, creative and social environment. They are always seeking companies to host sessions or individuals to give their time as mentors. Parents It is not just down to schools, government and business. Parents are key influencers when it comes to shaping children’s decision making and there is risk that if they do not understand the digital world they may advise children to make “safe” career decisions in less dynamic or saturated markets. It is everybody’s responsibility to educate and influence parents on the opportunities that exist in the digital sector. Girls at school should be an area of special focus as they can often by steered away from gender stereotyped IT opportunities. In conclusion, safeguarding against a growing digital skills deficit is certainly on the radar for some key stakeholders. Nonetheless these examples and recommendations should be replicated on a wider scale in order to truly address the problem. In the meantime, ask yourself, is your organisation doing all it can to increase and develop the supply of talent for your digital future? Hopefully you found this blog interesting. 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