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Tag: upskilling

  • Small businesses face digital skills shortage

    Finito World

     

    Research by the Gatsby Foundation shows that 81% of small businesses in England face major recruitment problems. The survey of over 500 small business hiring managers shows that rising costs are the biggest issue for small businesses.

    Particularly in industries which require digital skills, talent sourcing is also a problem. 43% believe that sourcing talent is the second biggest problem, behind rising costs, and 55% stated that there is a lack of skilful and knowledgeable candidates.

    John Garrido, who serves as Regional Vice President UK for WithYouWithMe, believes upskilling is the answer.

    “In the current climate of rising costs and economic instability, the need for digitally proficient people is more urgent than ever to help lead businesses forward,” Garrido says, “The issue does not lie with a lack of available staff, in fact there is a significant untapped pool of skilled individuals who are key to solving the digital skills crisis.”

    Training current employees in necessary skills rather than finding new hires can reduce cost and give employees an opportunity to expand their knowledge. Despite this, 86% of SMEs surveyed stated that they are having trouble with upskilling, and that they are failing to attract digital talent.

    Jenifer Burden, MBE, who is Director of Programmes at Gatsby, explains that changes in the way skills and education are acquired can make the issue difficult to understand.

    “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and society, but there’s no doubt they’re facing a tough year ahead. As our research shows, one of their major challenges is getting to grips with the education and skills landscape, which has changed and can be complex to understand,” Burden says.

    There is evidence to suggest an untapped talent pool in groups which are frequently and unfairly overlooked. WithYouWithMe research suggests that autistic people score around 10% higher than other groups in tech skills. More broadly, 32% of neurodivergent individual score higher in spatial awareness and digital symbol coding which directly translate to careers in tech.

    As small businesses struggle to find employees with digital skills, it is now more important than ever to look at training existing employees and hiring people from groups which have historically been overlooked.

    Credit: https://www.gatsby.org.uk

  • 1.5 million adults miss upskilling opportunity, research shows

    Patrick Crowder

    The online education provider Emiratus sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the Department for Education. The data shows that the government underspent on its upskilling programme by £1.2 billion over the programme’s 8-year run. The scheme, which funds qualifications for people who cannot afford them, has allowed 1.5 million adults to slip through the cracks due to underspending.

    According to Emitatus, the government has only spent 42% of the scheme’s budget on average per year. Anand Chopra-McGowan who is the General Manager for the UK and Europe at Emeritus explains how upskilling has not been prioritised by the government.

    “While the skills revolution has become the mantra of the Government, this data paints a worrying picture. Year in year out, the Government is missing its target to help reskill adults across the country even with funding available,” Chopra-McGowan says, “Without genuine reform, the same decisions that resulted in over £1 billion of skills funding being left unspent will happen all over again.”

    On average, each person taking part in the scheme receives £770. Last year, £97 million in funding was left on the table, which could support 120,000 people through the programme. Now, the DfE is holding a consultation for an initiative called the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, which offers individuals a loan equivalent to four years of higher education over the course of their lifetime. Chopra-McGowan believes that this could mean major improvements to the programme which seeks to solve a crucial problem.

    “Developing skills in adulthood couldn’t be more important. As new technology and industries emerge, the UK workforce must upskill to keep pace, preparing today for tomorrow’s workplace,” Chopra-McGowan says, “As the Department for Education consults on their new Lifelong Learning Entitlement, we now have an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past. From opening up the eligibility requirements so more adults on more courses can apply for funding, to working more closely with businesses so that this scheme
    can help them to upskill their employees, the Government cannot just carry on as before as this approach clearly isn’t working.”

     

    Credit: https://emeritus.org

  • Stuart Thomson: Covid-19 will hit the young hardest – especially in the world of work

    Stuart Thomson: Covid-19 will hit the young hardest – especially in the world of work

    There is no doubt that young people have been hit hard by Covid-19.  Unless businesses and government take immediate and decisive action then the long-term consequences will be enormous.

    The All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs recently held an inquiry into the economic impact that Covid-19 has had on young people.  It found that young people have felt the impact on their financial, emotional, and vocational wellbeing. The report highlighted the educational disruption and financial pressures alongside an impact on mental health.  Alongside this pretty bleak picture, they provided seven key recommendations including:

    “Provide additional support and opportunities for young people and employers to ensure that they are “work ready” on leaving full time education, and equipped with the skills to manage, training and support new workers”.

    The emphasis may often be placed on schools, colleges and ‘the government’ to help equip people but it should also apply to all types of roles across the public and private sectors. In other words, the problems are being encountered by everyone.  There are no exclusions.

    Some employers may have support systems and mechanisms in place, but they are not always designed with the needs of young people or the types of damage inflicted by Covid-19. Maybe the emphasis on support for younger employers is new.  Financial support is, for instance, often more about pensions and savings and not always totally relevant to new entrants. 

    The APPG report noted that some employers are delivering ‘upskilling’ so there are good examples out there.  It also says: 

    “The Government should pay particular attention on how both educators and businesses can be active partners in providing opportunities for young people.”

    But there is nothing to stop this sort of link-up happening at a local level as well and it may better reflect the needs of the local labour market. Too much emphasis on central government may deflect attention from more effective action. 

    ‘Educators’ should also include universities as well.  The higher education sector is not always viewed favourably by this government.  The 2019 Conservative Manifesto proposed plenty of changes.  If universities are looking for ways to better support their students and improve their reputation with government then the post Covid-19 environment could be ideal.

    There are organisations out there providing support to employers to help rectify the impact on the young of Covid-19.  None has to go it alone which would be completely daunting especially for small businesses. Big businesses often have the teams in place but the wide range of advice and help available will be especially needed by small businesses.  And maybe they are better placed to help post Covid-19 because of the speed at which they can move?

    Government has put schemes in place – traineeships, apprenticeships, and the Kickstart programme – but membership and representative bodies, recruitment consultants, and other groups have come together to help deliver and prepare for work.

    But young people themselves can see where they need help and support as well.  It is not just about getting people into work, although that is critically important, but also about helping them in the workplace.

    Younger employees are going to make sure they don’t lose out as organisations work out what their own new working arrangements are.  On one level it is understandable why organisations will focus on the vast majority of their more established team members.  But they are potentially undermining their futures if they ignore this key group. It would also be counter to the types of support many proclaim loudly so there is a reputation aspect they need to be aware of as well.

    The competition for the best talent could become even more fierce after Covid-19, those best prepared and with the experience that will be even more sought after.  But we also need to ensure that the crisis does not allow some employers to fall back on old discredited behaviours, those of ‘who you know’ or the tendency to exploit when firms themselves are under significant cost pressures.

    We all have a role in helping the young to recover from the impact of Covid-19.