How apprenticeships can overcome digital skills crisis – Euan Blair

THE coronavirus pandemic collided with another crisis in the UK economy: a severe shortage of critical skills.
Digital skills are critical to Britain's future, writes Euan Blair in The Yorkshire Post.Digital skills are critical to Britain's future, writes Euan Blair in The Yorkshire Post.
Digital skills are critical to Britain's future, writes Euan Blair in The Yorkshire Post.

This has been costing companies, organisations and entire regions for years, and fixing it will have a significant role to play in the economic recovery.

First, the workforce is short of the skills needed in today’s world. Second, the amazing opportunities that are out there are not being distributed evenly to communities across the UK. We need to reskill our society and we need to diversify our talent pools.

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The first problem is centred around digital skills. While tech is the fastest growing area of the economy, the skills needed in this area – from general literacy to deep expertise – are neglected by the education system. Universities simply aren’t preparing students for the modern workplace: 52 per cent of the workforce do not have essential digital skills, according to data from Lloyds Bank.

Euan Blair is founder and CEO of skills provider Multiverse.Euan Blair is founder and CEO of skills provider Multiverse.
Euan Blair is founder and CEO of skills provider Multiverse.

While the labour market is evolving at a phenomenal pace, the way universities teach students hasn’t changed for decades. Businesses are left footing the bill: the Open University estimates they spent £6.6bn plugging the skills gap in 2020.

By arming people with digital skills, we are setting them up for success. When we look at in-demand sectors, there are plenty of jobs out there. According to the Government’s own analysis, there are an astounding 100,000 unfilled roles in data across the UK.

At the heart of the second problem is how we ensure those jobs, and the high salaries they command, don’t just go to the people who’ve always been able to grasp opportunities. University has been described as the great social leveller, but too many young people are still missing out on the best opportunities as a result of their background.

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Only four per cent of those claiming free school meals make it to a Russell Group university. The gap widens after graduation: almost half of those on corporate grad programmes were educated at private school. Social mobility is stagnant, so we need to spread opportunities to the communities, towns and regions that don’t get enough of them.

Traditional apprenticeships need to be extended to the digital sector, argues Euan Blair.Traditional apprenticeships need to be extended to the digital sector, argues Euan Blair.
Traditional apprenticeships need to be extended to the digital sector, argues Euan Blair.

I firmly believe that apprenticeships are the best solution. It’s why I founded Multiverse to build an outstanding alternative to university that can both close the skills gap, and open up access to life-changing opportunities for everyone with talent, regardless of background.

The best apprenticeships offer one-on-one coaching, mentoring and applied learning rooted in the workplace that emphasises problem solving. Apprentices make connections and build relationships that will support them through their careers and they’re being paid a wage while they’re learning, rather than accumulating debt.

Apprenticeships aren’t just the preserve of traditional industries, though they do that brilliantly. The fastest growing apprenticeships are in digital and tech, for the simple reason that this is where roles are being created.

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In light of this, many of the top companies in tech and professional services have now scrapped degrees as an entry requirement.

Across Yorkshire, great organisations are taking the opportunity to attract and develop a diverse new workforce. In Leeds we’ve partnered with NHSX to recruit project managers, data analysts, and administrators. We’re working with employers to recruit software engineers to train their next generation of leaders.

As every organisation grapples with digital transformation, apprenticeships enable them to get talented people with the skills they actually need. The Leeds Health and Care Academy, for example, spotted a need to make better use of data to drive outcomes for patients. An important part of the solution was to invest in data apprenticeships to address this challenge head on.

The best jobs of the next decade can’t just go to the same people as the best jobs of the last decade. That’s at the heart of why we exist. Forty per cent of the apprentices we place have claimed free school meals, more than half are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and 57 per cent are women. Together with Generation UK, this month we’re launching ‘boot camps’ to help those facing barriers to employment get access to tech careers, including in Yorkshire.

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But it’s also about putting firms at the forefront of capturing the benefits that exist from a digital economy, driving productivity, and creating opportunity wherever they are based. Levelling up doesn’t have to be something that waits for the Government to act, it’s something we can start right now.

Get this right and we can give everyone the skills they need to thrive in the modern workplace – all while breaking down barriers to success that have stood in the way for too long. Apprenticeships at scale have the chance to rework the way people and businesses approach careers, skills, and education forever.

Euan Blair is founder and CEO of skills provider Multiverse.

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