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UK Businesses Falling Short on Digital Skills Training
There are fears small firms will be left behind in the 'digital revolution' with 40% of businesses relying on graduates for their digital output
Shane Donnelly March 31, 2016
UK small businesses are 'not doing enough' to boost employee digital competence, according to a report by Barclays.
The survey of both employees and employers found that small firms are only spending an average of £109 annually per employee on digital skills training – leaving themselves at risk of falling behind foreign competitors.
Over a third (34%) of the businesses surveyed admitted they found it difficult to implement the right training to digitally up-skill staff, and 45% said they felt their older employees were slower to pick up the required skillsets than younger recruits.
The report highlighted fears that UK small enterprises will be left behind in the 'digital revolution' with 40% of small businesses having revealed that they rely on graduates and younger employees for their digital output.
Ashok Vaswani, CEO of Barclays UK, said:
"The digital revolution is having a profound effect on our lives by dramatically changing the way we live and work and interact with one another.
"Although in many ways this is empowering, it can also be challenging, because it requires people and businesses to acquire, retain and consistently develop new skills and understanding to truly benefit.
"Together with government, businesses and society as a whole, we need to raise our sights beyond basic inclusion and aim to create a Britain of true digital confidence at all levels of the workforce."
Tags:digital revolutionDigital Skills Trainingstaff training
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