Nearly a quarter of UK adults lack basic digital skills according to charity GO ON UK.
The digital skills charity defines the five basic skills as: managing information online, communicating, carrying out transactions, finding solutions online and creating basic digital content such as social media.
However, by 2025 millennials will make up 75 percent of the global workforce and this generation is far more technologically minded than those that have come before. At some companies they are already the majority and at the same time digital is increasingly being put at the forefront.
For these reasons it is easy to assume that everyone has the skills necessary to navigate the digital world – that to this generation using technology will come easy. But, this simply isn’t the case.
Technology can be confusing and difficult to use and with each update and invention you must learn new skills to be able to use it.
The charity found that 23 percent of UK adults don’t have the basic digital skills required to complete certain online tasks such as carrying out transactions or avoiding malicious websites.
There is no company that can escape digital these days, even if it isn’t at the forefront of your company, there will still be elements of it. You might work in a company that is essentially ‘offline”, perhaps you print flyers and leaflets – but you still need the skills to create a beautiful, eye-catching image that will get the marketing message across.
This is why it is important to not just assume your employees know what they are doing when it comes to technology.
While 89 percent of those surveyed stated that they could use a search engine, 27 percent are unable to buy or install an app. “Digital competency is an essential skill for everyone and we believe that – without urgent action – the nation’s lack of basic digital skills will continue to hold back economic growth, productivity and social mobility,” Rachel Neaman, the charity’s CEO, said.
It is essential that you offer training and not just as a one-off but ongoing and every time you adopt new technology. It is important to invest in employee development and technology is becoming a more and more important part of this.
Training is beneficial to you as your employees will feel inspired and motivated as well as able to grow and progress which will benefit you as they become more experienced in their role and you are able to get more out of them.
Whether you believe your employees are technologically minded or not it is vital that you provide them with training because digital is a fast-paced world that is constantly changing and ultimately it will benefit the company.
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