CHILDREN OF THE
DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Young people are the future of our workforce, and yet many of them are entering the world of work unequipped with the digital skills they will need. Meanwhile, issues around digital inclusion threaten to leave some of the younger workforce behind, unless employers act to upskill them.
DIGITAL SKILLS WILL BE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE YOUNGER WORKFORCE
88%
51%
9/10
of young people say digital skills will be essential for their career
of young people are interested in a career that will require advanced digital skills
workers will need to learn new skills to perform their role proficiently by 2030
Youthsight 2021
Youthsight 2021
Salesforce and IDC 2021*
...AND YET SOME ARE ENTERING THE WORLD OF WORK WITHOUT THOSE SKILLS
Young people's confidence that they have the digital skills employers need
48%
62%
18%
of businesses say young people leaving full time education have the advanced digital skills they need
Basic digital skills
Advanced digital skills
Youthsight 2021
YouGov 2021
THERE IS A GENDER GAP IN YOUNG PEOPLE'S DIGITAL ASPIRATIONS, WHICH IS EMBEDDED FROM AN EARLY AGE...
Participants in ICT training by gender
Male
Female
GCSE
78%
22%
A Level
83%
17%
Apprenticeship starts
77%
23%
Undergraduate starts
84%
16%
Post graduate starts
70%
30%
Education Data Lab 2021, Higher Education Statistics Agency 2020, Department for Education 2019
...WHILE DIGITAL POVERTY LIMITS SOME YOUNG
PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO LEARN DIGITAL SKILLS
PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO LEARN DIGITAL SKILLS
Access to internet and digital devices among households with children in 2020, by socioeconomic group
No access to the internet at home
Access to the internet at home using a phone's mobile network only
No home access to a laptop, desktop or tablet
All households
2%
4%
9%
AB households
Higher & intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations
Higher & intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations
1%
3%
2%
1%
2%
6%
C1 households
Supervisory, clerical & junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations
Supervisory, clerical & junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations
2%
2%
8%
C2 households
Skilled manual occupations
Skilled manual occupations
6%
9%
21%
DE households
Semi-skilled & unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations
Semi-skilled & unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations
Ofcom 2020
9%
of young people live in digital poverty with no access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home
Ofcom 2020
FACED WITH SUCH INEQUALITIES, EMPLOYERS MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO UPSKILL THE FUTURE WORKFORCE AND MAKE OPPORTUNITIES MORE ACCESSIBLE
Young people's expectations that thier employer will invest in their digital skills
50%
Tend to agree
20%
Strongly agree
15%
Tend to disagree
11%
Don't know
3%
Strongly disagree
Youthsight 2021
APPRENTICESHIPS COULD HELP SOLVE THE SKILLS CRISIS, BUT MANY BUSINESSES AREN'T MAKING THE MOST OF THIS OPPORTUNITY
Number of ICT apprenticeship starts
£250m
unspent government apprenticeship funding in the last year
2017-18
18,500
2018-19
21,100
2019-20
18,200
Department for Education 2021
Youthsight 2021
It is now an imperative for businesses to invest in the younger generation, be it through apprenticeships, empowering employees to upskill and retrain or attracting more diverse talent. Employers that succeed in developing their younger workforce will benefit from a wider talent pool, accelerate innovation and ensure a better future of work by driving growth and equality for all.
*Source: IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Salesforce, Jobs and Skills Creation in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Unlocking the Potential, doc #EUR147594821, May 2021
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