How can we tackle the Digital Skills Shortage in the UK?

In January 2016, two government departments jointly published a review of the digital skills shortage in the UK. Entitled, ‘DIGITAL SKILLS for the UK ECONOMY’ it highlighted the significant and widening gap between the skills needed by employers and the skills of the UK labour market. The report found that 72% of large companies, and 49% of SME’s, are suffering due to having limited access to qualified employees.

Since 2016, the picture hasn’t really improved. As our economy becomes more digital, basic digital skills are becoming a universal requirement for jobs. According to the Learning and Work Institute, as of 2021, 92% of UK employers expect a basic level of digital skills as a minimum prerequisite alongside basic numeracy and literacy skills.

But despite the growing need for these skills, the number of appropriately skilled individuals aren’t growing. Since 2015, the number of children taking IT-related topics at GCSE level has dropped 40% and this is compounded by a significant gender gap. Only around 20% of those applying for IT-related courses are women. This is an alarming trend considering the future of the UK economy.

But as the digital skills shortage grows, what can we do to combat it?

The first thing the UK needs to combat is the scale of ‘digital poverty’ in the UK. Highlighted by the recent pandemic, having access to the internet or a digital device isn’t universal. One in ten young people lacks access to the appropriate device to be able to do their homework. This rises to one in five for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

How this poverty is tackled has been the subject of numerous government reports and white papers over the past few years but very little has been done to mitigate these problems. At present, it is mostly private organisations and volunteers championing the rights of these individuals.

It is predicted that by 2022 the UK economy will be suffering from a shortage of over 1 million digitally skilled individuals. This number is about even to the number of individuals currently classed as being digitally impoverished.

Aside from levels of digital poverty, the UK curriculum needs addressing. Basic maths and English skills no longer exist as the foundation of the UK labour force. Digital literacy needs to be recognised as a key facet of education in the modern world. Relegating digital education to an option-based secondary education course does not reflect its importance.

Young people must be learning these skills from primary school age. If we want the UK labour force to be ready for the future, the next generation needs to be fluent in literacy, numeracy and digital. The only way to achieve this is by incorporating education on a wide range of digital skills from marketing to coding, all the way through to digital art. The only way to become fluent in these skills is to learn them from a young age.

Currently, employers who are affected by this skills shortage have to carry out extensive on the job training. They understand that the majority of the talent pool do not have the skills that they need. But this isn’t a sustainable model. 76% of businesses stated that a lack of digital skills would directly affect the profitability of their business. If we don’t start making these changes now, it could have disastrous consequences for the UK economy.