In the last few years, digitisation has transformed the workplace, and employees now need to possess digital skills and knowledge in order for both businesses and people to keep up.
Digital skill gaps are a big concern all over the world. Even the world's most technologically advanced countries are grappling with digital skills shortages. Businesses, particularly start-ups, have struggled because of the digital skills gap. Employees with digital skills are few, and due to a lack of supply and strong demand, they are scarce and expensive to hire.
What is the digital skill gap?
The digital skill gap refers to a lack of digital expertise in today's digitised business environment. The digitalisation of the business landscape is the new normal, but the digital skills required to thrive in this new normal appears to be in short supply, since supply does not appear to be matching the demand.
Employees must have digital skills in order to use new technologies and stay up with technological advancements. During the COVID-19 epidemic, when the demand for digital skills grew, this "gap" in digital skills became more obvious.
Causes of digital skill gap
Emerging new technologies.
Traditional education curricula do not address the inescapable change that is now occurring; thus, pupils are not learning anything new or innovative.
The pandemic has resulted in an increased need for digital skills in a short period of time, resulting in a significant skills gap.
Most employees are unwilling to learn new skills or improve on their expertise.
It takes time and effort to embrace new technologies or products as a whole.
How are organisations closing the digital skill gap?
Identifying the skills gap in your firm - Begin by determining the capabilities and competencies of your existing staff. This will help you to compare the talents you require with what your staff can offer in today's digital business environment.
Taking advantage of and leveraging digital capabilities that employees may have outside of work hours. Most of the time, they may have latent abilities that they are unaware of, such as operating a blog or vlog or having a popular TikTok account. These are only abilities that can be honed with practice and a little prodding.
Make staff digital training a priority.
Upskill and reskill existing staff to help them succeed.
Digital inclusion initiatives and programs aid in the development of digital skills and the bridging of the digital skills gap.
Ensuring that educational institutions focus on training students to be job-ready in a digital corporate environment. As simple as it may appear, most educations are typically overly academic with no practical application.
While businesses play a critical role in bridging the digital skills gap, employees also have a role to play. Many things altered in the corporate environment as a result of the COVID pandemic in 2020. For example, working remotely from any part of the world.
In summary, equipping yourself and your employees with digital skills required in the digitised business landscape will allow you to transition into the new normal.
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