Vocational education is the key to helping people access a career in digital and closing the skills gap in Yorkshire - Cheryl Smith

According to the Learning and Work Institute, 52 per cent of the population lack the essential digital skills required for the workplace. These include being able to set up professional networking accounts, manage digital records and financial accounts, use appropriate software to analyse data (for example spreadsheets) and manage information securely.

This, coupled with the fact that almost 70 per cent of jobs in the digital sector are in non-tech careers, like HR, legal, finance and sales, illustrates that we are moving into an age where you can no longer progress in a career without having basic digital skills.

In years gone by, building a career in digital and IT would have simply involved studying a degree. While this is still a valuable way of gaining your digital and tech credentials, it’s not an accessible route for everyone.

Luckily today’s education market offers a range of other options to build up knowledge, increase confidence through real-life experience, and score some major CV points.

Ultimately learning new digital skills should be available to everyone, and vocational further education and apprenticeships could be part of the solution. Promoting this route into a digital career and encouraging our workforce to upskill digitally is critical to breaking down barriers and increasing opportunities for all.

Vocational education (including apprenticeships) could unlock the potential of many when it comes to meeting the skills demand in digital and tech. And this isn’t just about 16-19 year olds, but adults too.

Whether it’s laying down the groundwork for a digital profession, making a career change, or looking to reach the next level of expertise, there are multiple ways to access a career in digital. Or at least ensure that the foundations are in place to support progress in an ever changing, digitally focused world.

There is a misconception around digital, leaving many thinking that it’s not relevant or accessible to them, but as the data shows, pretty much any job in any sector is going to require some level of digital capability and understanding.

As a college, we want to change this perception around digital and raise aspirations, so people feel confident learning and upskilling. While digital courses can provide deep skills development in a range of areas, including software programming, digital graphics, web design, networking and digital forensics, there are also courses available that cover the basics that can be essential in taking on new or higher paid job roles.

For some, the idea of returning to education isn’t an option due to time constraints and expense, but Leeds City College is one of many colleges that offers evening classes, the ability to study online and the option of committing to studying only one day a week.

Community centres are often where these courses are held, so people can learn important skills such as website development, coding and computer programming without having to travel too far.

It’s important to note that not every course has to be purely focused on digital. Many courses available teach transferable digital and IT skills, helping to build confidence and boost career prospects. There are multiple avenues to prepare for a future job role by upskilling and reskilling, with vocational studies, apprenticeships and access to higher education courses being accessible options for those that don’t necessarily have the entry requirements for university.

The opportunity to tackle these misconceptions starts with employers and colleges working in tandem to develop courses that respond directly to the needs of key sectors. AND Digital commissioned a study of the skills gap, which found 81 per cent of managing directors in the country said a lack of digital skills was negatively affecting their company.

That same study found that more than half, 58 per cent, of employees across various sectors in the UK said they had received no digital training. These stats further illustrate the challenges that employers are facing and in order to achieve sustainability, the skills pipeline needs to be replenished and invested in.

For us, this is where colleges can come in. Having recently launched a dedicated Luminate Employer Board, the college is proactively fostering long-term partnerships with organisations to respond to the skills needs of the region.

Within 20 years, 90 per cent of all jobs will require some element of digital skills so preparing the workforce of today to be ready for the future is essential.

Cheryl Smith is principal of the Printworks Campus at Leeds City College.