Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill on the UK digital skills gap

Working from home for so long forced many UK workers who were not that “tech-savvy”, to become more self-reliant with online systems. Yet, according to new figures released today from Santander UK, a huge 82 per cent of UK workers do not feel confident when asked to do day-to-day IT tasks such as backing up files to the cloud, creating formulas in a spreadsheet, or even setting up video calls. One in four say their lack of skills is preventing them from starting their own business.

According to the research, lack of digital skills is having an impact on one in five workers who are looking to change their jobs or start a new career but cannot because of their lack of experience or because they are not competent in certain digital areas.

The top three industries where workers want to make a career change but are worried about their lack of digital skills are: Leisure and sports industry, law enforcement and security and the creative arts. Workers in leisure and sports are the third least likely industry to have done any qualifications since school or university, with the media and advertising taking the spot of most unlikely.

Santander UK, through Santander Universities, has teamed up with the Institute of Coding, and TechUP initiative, based at Durham University, to launch a free online introductory level digital skills course with 50,000 places available across the UK, as part of Santander’s broadening support for lifelong learning and those facing challenges presented by the pandemic. The course has been developed to support people who want to take the first step on the pathway to building digital skills and can help people to: return to or start education; return to work or pivot their career; or set up a business online.

Aston spoke to athletics legend Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Dr Sue Black, computer scientist, academic and entrepreneur.

Image: Flickr