Since the Government Digital Strategy was announced, the public sector has done a great job of digitising public services. To give just a few examples, UK residents can now go online to pay council tax, chase up missed refuse collections, and book GP appointments. There is huge demand for digital public services, and they are already proving popular. In fact, when a digital option is available, 67% of citizens say they always or sometimes use it. To achieve so much transformation so fast, the sector has needed to employ a large number of people with digital skills. But such people are not always easy to find.
Growing your digital workforce
With growing demand, and technology evolving at an ever-increasing rate, there is a well-reported 'digital skills crisis'. A 2017 survey by the Cloud Industry Forum and its public sector SIG found that 40% of public sector organisations are missing the skills they need to adapt to digital transformation, and 41% lacked the internal knowledge to migrate to a cloud solution. There are two main approaches you can take to resolve this challenge...
1. Training your existing people
A Business in the Community survey questioned over 2,000 employees where they were asked whether their employer encouraged them to gain the skills they need to survive in the digital era. They found that only 25% of workers in their 50s and 22% of workers in their 60s felt their employer encouraged them to gain the skills they need to survive in the digital era. This compared with 44% of 18-24 year olds and 32% of 40-49 year olds. Those results demonstrate an opportunity – expand your training and development across all age ranges, and you'll be set for a successful digital future.
2. Attracting top digital talent
The public sector attracts people who want to make a difference to society and communities where they live and work. Millennials reportedly look for cultural fit, so are ideally suited to opportunities in the sector. When employees with digital skills were asked what they look for, the top answers included the pay package, unrestricted career progression, and more opportunities to demonstrate their personal ability – so, if you're trying to attract these skills into your workplace, you know what you have to offer! With a vast database of digital professionals at our fingertips, Brook Street is the place to turn for help. We will work with you to bring your culture and ethos to life in your job specs. This will help your ads appeal to the right type of employees, and set you up well for the future.
