Creating opportunity: Empowering the future workforce with skills

“I was afforded an opportunity
that looked past my lack of a
degree and that completely
changed the course of my life.”

Scott Vincent

Founder & CEO

Skills are undoubtedly critical to the future of our economy. Equipping young people with the right skills so that they can not only secure sustainable employment but also significantly impact industry has been a passion of mine for quite some time. It has been encouraging in recent weeks to see skills placed at the top of the agenda by the new UK government, with skills featuring prominently in discussions during its first few weeks in power, emphasising the importance of the skills conversation.

Skills are absolutely core to the Digital Futures proposition as we look to create opportunity. It has been frustrating to watch as the skills gap, particularly at entry-level, has resulted in organisations turning to offshoring and AI, rather than investing in junior talent at home. At Digital Futures, we are committed to re-focusing the skills agenda to ensure that young people do have access to employment opportunities. Our mission is focused on removing barriers and closing the skills gap by providing individuals with the necessary training and skills to launch their careers in technology.

AI and offshoring: misguided solutions to the skills gap

To provide some context to the urgency of the skills agenda, according to the World Economic Forum, 60% of businesses say that skills gaps in the local labour market hold back the transformation of their business – this is the top barrier globally to business transformation. The workforce is not equipped with the skills industry needs and organisations have resorted to either AI or offshoring to fill the apparent void.

The reality of turning to both Generative AI and offshoring as solutions is that they have a very limited outlook, focused on short-term economic gains, rather than long-term economic stability. Where organisations are focused on making immediate cost savings, they have lost sight of the long-term future of the labour market.

“As a father of three, and constantly looking towards my children’s future, I am acutely aware of how important it is that we ensure that young people have as large a pool of opportunities as possible.”

One of the most pressing issues that has emerged from this is the reduction in the availability of entry-level roles. It has become far more challenging for young people to access the hugely important roles that give them the foundational experience they need for skill development and career progression.

As a father of three, and constantly looking towards my children’s future, I am acutely aware of how important it is that we ensure that young people have as large a pool of opportunities as possible available to them when the time comes for them to join the workforce. Ensuring that those roles exist is dependent on continuing to highlight the skills agenda and making sure that the right skills are being developed, from schools to universities and beyond.

Closing the skills gap: Aligning education and industry

There is no doubt that the skills gap does exist and is a significant challenge for organisations. The reasons for the skills gap are various, but the divergence between what industry requires and what is taught at schools and universities in the UK is substantial.

This misalignment means that junior talent is not equipped with the right skills to take on available roles. Traditional education systems must show a willingness to step out of the past and adapt to the changing economic landscape and gear towards supporting industry by focusing on teaching the necessary hard skills, as well as holistic behaviours like critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

However, from a more personal perspective, for too long, the minimum requirement for employment has been the attainment of a university degree. Where universities have failed to adapt to the changing needs of the economy and the skills that industry requires, a minimum requirement of a university degree also indicates a certain level of exclusivity and disregards a huge proportion of the population.

“Our mission is therefore deeply personal to me and I am so inspired everyday to be working towards creating as much opportunity as we can.”

When I was looking to start my own career, not having a degree was a major barrier for me. However, I was afforded an opportunity that looked past my lack of degree and that completely changed the course of my life. With Digital Futures, I have an opportunity to repay that debt at scale. Our mission is therefore deeply personal to me and I am so inspired everyday to be working towards creating as much opportunity as we can.

Breaking down barriers: a collective responsibility

At Digital Futures, skills sit at the centre of helping us to achieve our mission. Rather than relying on offshoring or generative AI to fill job roles, empowering the population with the right skills for success must be the collective focus.

It is therefore essential to urge government, industry and educational institutions to come together to define a single, comprehensive view of the skills agenda going forward in order to provide people with the right skills to produce a highly skilled workforce. The recent Skills England Bill delivered at the King’s Speech in July should be welcomed, as should the government’s commitment to developing skills across the workforce that should contribute to increasing productivity and growing the UK economy.

For Digital Futures, we remain focused on taking a “skills-first” approach and empowering young people with skills. We are proud to be championing this agenda and firmly believe in the value of skills and in the long-term value of investing in local talent to fill entry-level roles. Our programmes have been designed to do just that by finding, training and developing a highly-skilled workforce that is ready to meet the unique challenges of a rapidly digitising world.

Picture of Scott Vincent
Scott Vincent