The UK could face a “catastrophic gap” in digital skills provision, new research warns.
A report, Disconnected: Exploring the digital skills gap, published by the Learning and Work Institute today and commissioned by WorldSkills UK in partnership with Enginuity, says the gap in digital skills is already costing the country billions in lost growth.
The new research shows that 60 per cent of businesses believe their reliance on advanced digital skills is set to increase over the next five years, while 88 percent of young people realise that their digital skills will be essential for their careers.
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However, while employer demand for digital skills is set to continue to grow, participation in digital skills training has declined. The number of young people taking IT subjects at GCSE has fallen by 40 per cent since 2015, with the number taking A levels, further education courses and apprenticeships all declining.
Fewer than half of UK employers (48 per cent) believe that young people are leaving full-time education with sufficient advanced digital skills, and 76 per cent of businesses believe that a lack of digital skills would hit their profitability.
Last year, the government launched digital skills boot camps as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee. The £8 million boot camps, targeted at people aged 19 and over, included short courses in IT services like cloud services, digital for advanced manufacturing and cyber security.
‘We need a step-change in ambition on digital skills’
However, Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute, said there needed to be a step-change in ambition on digital skills.
“Our research shows that demand for basic digital skills is already nearly universal, and demand for more advanced digital skills will continue to increase,” he said. “Helping young people to develop the digital skills that employers need will be vital both to driving our economic competitiveness and to ensuring young people can succeed in the labour market of the future.
“Yet while demand has increased, the number of people taking IT courses across GCSE, A level, further education and apprenticeships has declined in recent years. We need to see a step-change in ambition on digital skills, with the government, employers, providers and local areas working together to deliver the digital skills we will need.”
The research also highlights a stark gender gap in digital skills, with young females under-represented at every level. Females account for just 22 per cent of GCSE entrants in IT subjects, 17 per cent of A-level entrants, 23 per cent of apprenticeship starts in ICT, and 16 per cent of undergraduate starts in computer science.
‘Misplaced’ assumptions that the digital skills gap is closing
Neil Bentley-Gockmann, chief executive of WorldSkills UK said: “Young people and businesses are, as one, recognising the growing importance of the digital economy. But assumptions that the current digital skills gap will be closed in the months and years to come are misplaced.
“As business demand for advanced digital skills is growing, fewer young people are applying to study the subject, which could, if allowed to go unchecked, lead to a significant shortfall in provision.
“We need to plug shortages by inspiring more young women, as well as young men, to understand that digital careers are for them, and we also need to ensure the skills they are developing are of the highest quality to meet employer and economic needs. This is crucial for attracting much-needed foreign inward investment to create jobs across the UK and help the economy grow. Other major global economies are ahead of the UK in valuing high-quality digital skills to help drive their competitiveness and productivity. We need to act now to ensure the UK is not left behind.”
