Up-skilling for the real world
The Pandemic has exponentially increased the demand for digitally savvy current and prospective talent. And this trend shows no sign of abating. Our new digital world hinges on everyone having the skills to participate.
According to World Economic Forum, 9 out of 10 jobs require digital skills. A study by Accenture estimates that by 2028, the G20 countries could miss out on $11.5 trillion of cumulative GDP growth if the growing digital skills gap is not addressed. As India is the leading source of highly skilled digital talent, India is at the greatest GDP growth risk, at an average of 2.3% every year, due to the widening digital skills gap; followed by South Africa and Mexico at 1.8%, and China and Brazil at 1.7%. (Accenture).
The Salesforce Ecosystem
IDC finds that Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners in India will create more than 1.3 million jobs among Salesforce customers in the country, including 569,800 direct and 758,400 indirect jobs by 2026. According to IDC, the demand for cloud services is set to grow 22%, from $2.6 billion in 2020 to $8.5 billion in 2026
The Global Digital Skills Index , commissioned by Salesforce, reveals that in India 72% of respondents say they are very actively learning digital skills now to prepare themselves for the future of work. 66% of respondents in India also said they feel very equipped with resources to learn digital skills.
Re-think, re-imagine and re-structure
We have the opportunity to rethink, reimagine and restructure how we prioritise skilling, how we deliver education while ensuring growth and innovation while businesses and society evolves. The scale of this challenge is too massive for a single company, institution, or government to solve alone; it will require true partnership across all stakeholders to move the needle providing digital opportunities for all.
As the gap between hope and confidence widens, a global commitment to bridging widening digital skills gaps is fundamental to our world’s future success and prosperity. A key part of this must include differentiating between every day and workplace digitals skills, preparing the workforce for new jobs that will emerge, and reimagining the role business can play in cultivating a culture of continual digital learning.
Preparing the Workforce for the Jobs of the Future
Just like education, the workplace is not going back to the way it was before the pandemic. Now more than ever, people need access to the technologies and skills necessary to land the jobs of the future. Platforms, like Trailhead - Salesforce’s free, online learning platform, allow individuals to go from a low level of technical knowledge to a Salesforce role in as little as six months. Trailhead has already helped 3 million people skill-up for the future - at scale and speed - from anywhere and at their individual pace of learning.
Prioritising ‘real world’ digital skills
It is a common assumption that developed countries and younger generations feel more prepared for the digital skills demanded by today’s jobs. However, even an advanced level in everyday digital skills such as social media and web navigation does not necessarily translate to the skills needed to drive economic recovery and positive societal impact. It’s not just the ICT sector that isn’t able to meet key digital skills demands. Organisations across industries are struggling to find the right digital skills needed to enable digital innovation, support recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic, and drive future growth. Even every day digital skills covering expertise in areas such as smartphone usage, website browsing, social media and productivity programs like Word, Excel, and Google Docs are in short supply.
Learning from Anywhere
The pandemic may not have created new reasons for academic institutions to change how they do business but it has rapidly accelerated the process. In this post-pandemic world, institutions are adjusting to the new normal and becoming more digitally flexible, offer students more online services, and develop greater career preparation. Particularly in places where large numbers of students work full- or part-time as they learn, there is value found in providing hybrid learning courses to ensure convenience. Increasingly, access to relevant technologies and development of digital competences will be essential to delivering high-quality education and training, both for life and the workplace.
Ensuring skills keep pace with transformation
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, online learning and training is on the rise with a four-fold increase in the number of individuals seeking out learning opportunities online through their own initiative, and a five-fold increase in employer provision of online learning opportunities to their employees. Additionally, there has been a nine-fold enrolment increase in learners accessing online learning through government programmes, with a greater focus on skills such as data analysis, computer science and information technology.
Public and private sectors have a responsibility to unlock vital upskilling, reskilling, and digital literacy within both the current and future workforce, in order to prepare people for the future of work and develop the capabilities to effectively drive innovation and growth. We need to see a concerted collaborative effort to break down barriers to learning and create an equal and accessible pathway into a digital-first future. Now more than ever, businesses must work closely with governments and community stakeholders, to ensure that training and recruitment scales up to match digital demand, to reach all aspects of society, and to accelerate recovery and growth. Together, we can rethink digital transformation and life-long education, ensuring a digital-first mindset to help close digital skills gaps more efficiently.
Digital Skills will be continue to be a key agenda for individuals and organisations alike. In a work-from-anywhere world, a transformative mindset, readiness to innovate and upskill is required at every level of every organisation. Intentional efforts from all the key stakeholders including - Organisations, Govt and individuals today play a key role in bridging this prevailing skills gap.
Written by Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO and Chairperson, Salesforce