By Christina Lovelock
What do we mean by ‘digital skills’?
With technology playing a role in most aspects of our lives, and needed for a wide variety of jobs, what does the term ‘digital skills’ actually relate to? There are many different interpretations and expectations of ‘digital skills’, even within the tech sector.
The digital skills gap
Tech leaders often specifically exclude ‘ability to write code’ from the term digital skills but do typically expect some level of data skills to fall within the scope of the term. They also include broader, non-technical skills which are needed to work successfully in a digital team, such as collaboration and problem-solving.
If you speak to HR and recruitment professionals, they do not typically include these wider areas in their understanding of digital skills. They often cite specific areas of technology like cybersecurity or cloud computing, or name programming languages such as Python and JavaScript to clarify the specific skills they are referring to.
This mismatch of understanding can be a problem for organisations. Leaders need to create a more nuanced conversation about the skills we have within the workforce and the skills we need to develop.
AI skills for jobs of the future
One thing is clear – skills and knowledge in relation to AI is now a key aspect of the digital skills agenda and increasing the AI skills of the workforce is high on the list of government priorities.
According to IBM, 87% of executives expect AI to augment jobs rather than replace them, but a larger pool of talent is essential to be implement and scale AI across organisations. The UK Prime minister has announced a £187 million investment in a new TechFirst programme to help address the UK digital skills gap.
Digital skills gap
This shortfall in skills is costing the UK around £63bn annually. The demand for tech talent, especially in areas like AI, data science, and cybersecurity has far outpaced the supply of qualified candidates. We need more people to consider careers in tech, data, and digital, and more professionals should be encouraged to increase their digital and AI skills.
Currently, 7.5 million people, or 18% of UK adults, lack even basic digital workplace skills, and 60% of the workforce is missing at least some of the 20 core digital tasks employers expect. Closing the gap isn’t just about training in new technologies, it’s about rethinking how we define, recruit, and grow talent
Investing in tech skills
How can we prepare our workforce for the future, when the pace of change in tech is increasing all the time? Low code and no code platforms and advancing capabilities of AI means that the nature of software development jobs is already changing significantly. Effective collaboration and communication are already the skills that set apart high-performing teams and individuals, this is going to be crucial for every role. An understanding of ethics and governance and a commitment to continuous professional development will be needed for many more tech roles.
Creativity, critical thinking and innovation will be even more desirable than they are now. We need to ensure we treat these areas as skills that can be developed, not natural ‘traits’ that some people have, and others don’t.
The bigger opportunity
Beyond plugging shortages, investing in digital skills is about opening doors. It’s a chance to diversify the tech sector by equipping people from all regions and backgrounds to participate. It’s how we build companies that not only scale but also sustain.
There will always be new advances, new tools and new threats. The truth is, if there’s one skill that truly defines the future for tech professionals, it’s the ability to keep learning.
About the author
Christina Lovelock is a digital leader, coach and the author of Careers in Tech, Data and Digital, which aims to shine a spotlight on the wide range of roles in tech, not just coding. She is active in the professional community, regularly speaking at events and conferences and champions entry level roles, and has carried out post-graduate research into the digital skills gap. Connect at Linkedin.com/in/christina-lovelock.
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