Member Article

Release the potential

More jobs than ever are demanding IT skills, yet young people, while at ease with everyday digital technology, often do not possess the confidence and knowledge required to demonstrate such skills within the workplace. Something that employers what to see. Ideas such as the creation of a digital employability qualification could help plug this skills gap according to Charlotte Bosworth, Director of Skills and Employment at awarding body, OCR.

The workplace of the future faces a challenge. According to recent research, it is estimated that the country will require nearly 750,000 more IT-literate employees by 2017, yet, conversely, other findings from the 2014 Digital Skills Common Enquiry revealed that 4.5 million adults currently lack basic IT skills. So how will this critical workplace demand be fulfilled? The answer lies with harnessing the inherent skills possessed by the young learners.

It is clear that for many young people the experience of embracing the digital world is an entirely natural one. As today’s ‘digital natives’, unlike previous generations, many have been exposed to the digital world and computers from an early age so that they feel entirely at home utilising IT in all aspects of their lives. Today, Netbooks, tablets, smart phones, apps, wearable tech and cloud computing inhabit an entirely familiar digital universe for young people, meaning they are both tech savvy and at ease with the possibilities the digital revolution presents.

But herein lies the issue. While young learners may be confident in understanding and using the varied and attractive modes of digital IT, they can often surprisingly lack the confidence and knowledge to then apply such skills in the workplace. This ‘skills gap’ is something also recognised by employers as an issue, especially in the context of a report from Technology Insights which states that approximately 90% of all jobs now require a specific IT skill.

So what can be done?

We have to bring together the IT potential of young people and the IT demands set by employers. A good starting point would be the creation of more formalised recognition – such as a digital IT qualification – which could demonstrate to organisations that potential employees have the basic skills, aptitude and potential required to use IT within a more challenging business environment.

In essence such a move would reinforce an applicant’s suitability for a workplace that is increasingly becoming driven by a digital employability agenda. This is an area we are currently focused on addressing and will be releasing details of a new qualification soon to support learners and colleges in fulfilling the demand for a formal IT qualification that is linked to practical learning.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by OCR .