It seems like the digital skills gap is never closing. It appears to be growing! Technology never stops evolving, and with that, it can become difficult to keep up with the latest advancements. In business, this impacts the organisation, its staff and even customers.
The digital literacy gap, or divide, is the gap that exists between the knowledge and abilities of groups of people when it comes to technology and software. Due to the rapid changes in digital tools, many individuals fall behind, creating a mental gap between what they are able to know or do in comparison to their peers.
Even in the United Kingdom, businesses are noting that young people experience digital poverty: they recognise the need for skills but struggle to obtain the training or technology necessary to learn them. Additionally, they expect businesses to train them on the job for these skills, leaving SMEs in dire straits. Small businesses that don’t have the resources to train new employees need to prioritise hiring skilled workers, yet it is difficult to find skilled workers if they can’t access the digital skills they need to learn.
Factors at Play
There are various factors at play that contribute to the digital literacy gap in the workplace.
The Intergenerational Workplace
Due to working environment always evolving, it also includes a variety of different generations. Baby boomers are exiting the workforce, Generation X’ers are taking their place, and Millennials are moving out of entry-level positions, making way for Gen Z. Each generation has seen its share of technological advancements. Where older generations prefer tools like the Microsoft Suite, younger generations might prefer the Google Suite. Older generations might still be used to using desktop computers that plug into the local network, while younger generations hop onto the WiFi with tablets. This can cause a disconnect between practical skills and the technology available.
Tech Dependency
The economy is becoming more tech-dependent, contributing to an increase in the need for digital literacy. As technology evolves in the business world, companies must fund training to help employees keep up with new technological demands.
Thankfully, upskilling can fix the digital literacy gap and provide many other benefits, such as higher employee engagement, improved productivity and higher efficiency.
Lack of Infrastructure
In many instances, workers are unable to learn a specific skill if they don’t have access to any technology or infrastructure. For instance, a shop owner who doesn’t have access to online tools such as Google Ads cannot learn how to promote their shop online. Furthermore, in rural areas, where electricity and Internet connections are equally unreliable, accessing basic accounting software, for instance, might mean that they might not be able to keep thorough records easily. Even more so, they might not be able to keep up with the new releases in technology and learn these changes.
Solutions that Businesses Use to Bridge the Digital Literacy Gap
Companies can take various measures to bridge the gap that exists.
Building a Culture of Continuous Learning
Companies are advised to invest in learning resources such as learning materials or online learning courses that can help upskill their workers. Leadership should learn how to communicate that these resources are available to employees. Businesses should also aim to provide physical assistance to employees who need assistance to access these resources.
To encourage employees to participate in this continuous learning, employees can be provided with incentives from the company, such as exam leave.
A study from Harvard Business Review has shown that this type of culture also leads to a 34% higher employee retention rate.
Look for Special Digitisation and Skills Development Grants
SMEs often struggle to implement digital innovation or literacy programmes because they don’t have large budgets for it. Thankfully, corporations and governments have grants and toolkits available to support these small businesses.
Effective Upskilling and Reskilling
Due to the rapid changes mentioned earlier, businesses need to ensure that their employees can keep up with the pace of new digital technologies. Upskilling, or mostly reskilling, should be an ongoing process of evaluating employees’ abilities, identifying needs and meeting these needs.
It is important to note that in fast-moving industries, such as manufacturing, systems are evolving almost monthly. For such industries, there are other technologies to stay on top of, too. For that reason, it is important to be “future-focused” and be proactive about the digital literacy gap, not just reactive.
