Workers keen to learn new digital skills

New research indicates that workers are increasingly keen to learn new digital skills, with many believing they could use these new skills to support their organisation’s digital transformation processes, as well as enhancing their own career prospects.

According to a report from low-code firm Mendix, close to three-quarters of UK workers surveyed say that they are interested in learning more digital skills, with 60% wanting to put those skills to use by supporting their organisation’s digital transformation initiatives. The report found similar results in other countries, like Germany and the Netherlands. 

The most common ways that workers see themselves supporting digital transformation is by working with IT teams to make project implementation more successful and helping the IT teams better understand everyday business challenges.

In addition, the pandemic has also accelerated the need for software development to a level that organisations are struggling to keep up with. The survey highlights the fact that employees are keen to get involved with their organisations’ software development and would like to learn new skills, such as creating their own applications.

Indeed, nearly half of the respondents would like to build apps that would help them succeed in their work. Despite this interest, only 6% of workers are actually learning software development.

And of course, workers also understand the benefit that digital skills can provide to their own career. Almost three in five (59%) of the UK respondents stated that an expanded digital skillset would enable them to be more successful in their current role. On top of this, over a quarter saw learning new digital skills as necessary to keeping their jobs (26%). This eagerness to learn was seen as important across all age groups, with many stating, “You are never too old to learn new digital skills.”

At Global Knowledge, we recognise this desire to acquire digital skills and open up new IT-related opportunities. Given the pervasiveness of Microsoft technologies and the growing importance of the cloud, what better way to start than with one (or both!) of the following:

• Our Microsoft Fundamental Days – providing you with the ability to gain an industry recognised certification in key technology areas such as Azure, Microsoft 365 cloud service, artificial intelligence (AI) or security
• Our AWS Discovery Days - introducing you to the AWS Cloud and giving you an overview of important areas including security and compliance and cloud management