There is a digital skills gap across the UK. Here are suggestions for solving it in your own workplace.
If you are an SME owner or a manager, then you are already aware that there is a digital skills gap in the workforce. We are processing more data than we can discern. We are using websites even though we don’t all know how websites work, and we can’t all afford an IT department to help us out.
Today we want to examine the digital skills gap for ways that we can work around it. There is a genuine shortage of trained technological staff within the UK, and this is only going to worsen if businesses don’t act now. There is some urgency to the matter since we are amid a digital age.
What’s The Digital Skills Gap?
Earlier in the year the BBC tried to draw attention towards this impending disaster. We are facing a digital skills gap that is going to have an intense effect on the upcoming generation’s ability to progress. Those who haven’t heard of it before, however, perhaps need us to start from the beginning.
An ordinary skills gap is where you need something to happen, but you don’t have the talent to make it so. Perhaps you need a website for your small business, but you have no idea how to create a website. The obvious answer here is to outsource. But what if part of your business was creating websites for other people? Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to learn those skills yourself? Outsourcing is only a suitable solution for a limited time in this example.
A digital skills gap is when those skills are wholly digital. Continuing with the same example then. Your digital skill gap in this instance is that you don’t know how to make the websites which are part of a package of what your company sells. You need to hire end someone who can. And that brings us to how you can solve the digital skills gap within your own business.
Stages to Solve the Digital Skills Gap in Your Workplace
Solving the digital skills gap within your workplace can be done in stages. Let’s examine these below.
Stage 1: Identifying the skill gap
Before you know what you need to solve, you must identify where your skills gaps are. Do this by having team meetings and listening to what your employees have to say. Highlight all the areas they are struggling.
Stage 2: Encourage staff to come forward for training
Incentivise existing staff to come forward for training in the technological skills which your company needs. Offer a pay grade rise. The extra salary will be worth it. if you can’t get your own staff to cover the digital skills gap, you will have to hire in a new person, which can be more costly.
Stage 3: Engaging staff training
Since COVID-19, much of staff training is now remote and can be done online. Have your staff train in the required skills.
Stage 4: Calling in additional support
If you still need more help, you may wish to hire someone permanently. Hays IT Jobs can help you find expert in your field. You may also wish to consider outsourcing temporarily until you can get the skills into your workplace.