Maggie Philbin

CEO TeenTech Chair UK Digital Skills Task Force

From TW to Bang Goes The Theory

The Focus

What can we do to help develop home talent for the digital industries and for the growing IT needs of all industry?

Perceptions We know careers in tech are still misunderstood. How can we change this? Schools and Colleges – What are the barriers preventing young people gaining digital skills? How can formal/informal education better support this? What is the role for business? Apprenticeships. How can we make it easier for companies of all sizes to take on apprentices? What would a really good apprenticeship in digital skills/IT look like?

Universities. What can we do to ensure people have a better chance of gaining the skills which are actually needed?

Ongoing learning. How do we up skill the existing work force - those in and out of employment? Can we provide better opportunities for career transitions, career pathways for all ages?

‘Fancied Runners’

ZNets analysis of Gartners Hype Cycle – November 2014

What’s next?

Photo: pivot.com

“74% of business executives say their company has a digital strategy, but only 15% feel they have the skills and capabilities to execute it”

Forrester

Does she understand the opportunities?

Cyber Cyber SecurityBig

Data

Mobile

Cloud Computing

Internet of things

….and what is really needed?

CreativityLife long learning

Adaptability

The bad news …

• 23% of parents believe digital skills to be irrelevant to their children’s future career success.

• 18% of parents think employers do not care about digital skills.

• 38% of parents admit they do not know enough about the digital economy to help their children make informed career choices.

O2 survey June 2014

The good news ….

• Social Encouragement

• Self-perception

• Academic Exposure

• Career Perception

Google 2014

Digital Skills for Life

• Government should invest in helping all the UK population acquire basic digital skills by 2020, sharing the cost with businesses and the charitable sector.

• Government should ensure job seekers are offered digital skills training to help them back into the workforce.

• Government should mount an awareness campaign about the need to improve digital skills among SMEs and charities. This should include piloting of voucher schemes to access digital skills training.

• Government should commission a major review of the provision of lifelong learning for digital skills across the UK.

As a region …

• Regional groups should collaborate to establish ‘dating’ websites

• This could be led by local enterprise partnerships, councils or self-organising collaborations.

What can I do as a company?

• Make tech roles visible and better understood

• Align your CSR with your company business

• Set up on-going relationships with local schools, colleges and universities to provide work experience and work placements

• Alert to recruitment and retention

• Diverse board and senior management

• Quality apprenticeships – collaborating where necessary

• Ongoing training to keep skills relevant

As a school …

• Encourage all teachers to develop their digital skills and understanding of contemporary workplace

• Ensure work experience benefits every student regardless of gender and background

• Promote all pathways that benefit the student rather than the educator

• Promote cross curricular, project based work• Review policy on digital devices

Digital By Degree• Universities should focus on supporting students through their studies to

reduce unemployment levels amongst ethnic minority computer science graduates.

• Government should fund the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) to work with other sector bodies to establish a matching website to connect students with tech businesses across the UK.

• Government should work with universities and industry to expand the number of tech sandwich years and summer placements undertaken by students.

• Universities should offer students of all disciplines the opportunity to develop their digital skills outside of their core subject through employability awards and other schemes.

• University computer science departments should have active Industrial Advisory Boards to help keep them updated with industry developments.

What can I do?

• Become a school governor• Sponsor as well as mentor • Volunteer with organisations like TeenTech,

Code Club, Apps For Good, Young Rewired State

• Prepare for school visits – ongoing relationships better than one-off