This report by FutureDotNowUK, a coalition of organisations including BT, Asda, PwC and Nationwide explore that some 17 million people nationwide lack the essential digital skills for work and life.
FutureDotNowUK, a coalition of organisations including BT, Asda, PwC and Nationwide, have been focusing on accelerating the UK’s workplace digital skills at scale.
The report suggests the challenge organisations face to reskill their workforces is significant, as only 23% of employees report having any digital skills training from employers.
The research cites data from IMD world digital competitiveness 2020, where the UK ranks 41st in the world for employee training.
According to the report, other issues in relation to this “hidden middle” – individuals who possess very basic digital skills – include the negative impacts on business productivity and financial performance as the adoption of digital processes is slowed.
This latest research highlights that employers will have to address the growing digital skills gap within the workforce to ensure their business is able to fully leverage every digital transformation investment that’s made. With technologies like AI and cloud becoming as commonplace as word processing or email in the workplace, businesses will need to ensure employees can use such tools and aren’t apprehensive about using them. This will mean instituting lifelong learning for employees - from day one - constantly reskilling and upskilling workers to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn new skills.