Report: Employers are key to solving the digital skills gap

Higher education cannot be expected to deliver all the modern skills required for today’s workplaces and employers must ensure they understand what support new graduates will need, revealed Questionmark, a leading online assessment provider. Studies in the United Kingdom and the United States have shown that graduates are entering the workforce lacking many of the skills required for a modern job. One report claims that 69% of employers in the UK are facing a digital skills gap, but universities do not believe they alone can address this issue, with higher education providers stating they need help equipping young people with the digital skills sought after by employers.

In the US, 48% of employers believe recent graduates are “very well prepared” with the skills for collaboration. A parallel survey of students found 65% had received no training to make team-based class projects more effective, enjoyable or productive. John Kleeman, founder of Questionmark, noted that higher institutions acknowledge that they are unable to equip students with all the modern skills they need for today’s workforce, and urged employers to recognise their role in addressing this issue.

“To understand exactly what training and support new graduates need, employers must first determine which crucial skills are missing. Staff assessments in areas like digital literacy or data literacy give leaders a clear read of strengths and weaknesses and help determine training priorities. Further tests after training can prove whether it is working,” Kleeman said.

To help employers build the right skills into their workforce, Questionmark has produced How to build a tech-enabled workforce, which details how organisations can establish the need for training and build a culture seeking to learn new digital skills.

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