Local employers working with school to develop students’ digital skills

EMPLOYERS are finding it increasingly difficult to find the necessary skills within their workforce to meet the demands of a digital based business environment. Thame’s Lord Williams’s School has taken the initiative and invited local employers to share their skills requirements and explore ways of preparing students for the digital workplace.

Recent reports produced this year highlight the growing concern over the shortfall in digital skills and how this deficit threatens the productivity and competitiveness of UK businesses. The finding from the study conducted with 1,400 businesses by the British Chamber of Commerce (April 2017) revealed that 75% of businesses reported they had a gap in their existing workforce and 84% saying digital skills are more important to their business now than two years ago. Training in terms of cost, time and provider is quoted as a barrier to up-skilling the existing workforce, but what are schools doing to prepare young people for the digital workplace?

Nicky Stallwood, the Careers Manager at the school explained: “We know from conversations with employers how much digital skills are valued. However the recent changes to the ICT and Computer Science curriculum have meant that proportionately less students now have or take up the opportunity to learn these skills.”

In response to this digital skills issue both in education and in the workplace, local employers were invited to join senior school staff to explore what support might be developed with local employers to extend the digital skills learning in school. Dr Melanie Smans from Economic Development at the South Oxfordshire District Council, set the local scene by sharing the findings from the council’s recent Business Innovation Skills survey where a quarter of SMEs lack digital skills in their workplace.

Ditching ICT GCSE ‘was a mistake’

The school’s Head of Computer Science, Debbie Keith enlightened employers on the changes and U turns in government policy with regards to ICT and Computer Science. The Royal Society has criticised the government for rushing ahead with an unsuitable, more technical Computer Science qualification after ditching the more general ICT GCSE. The Royal Society’s report revealed that over half (54%) of secondary schools didn’t offer Computer Science at GCSE in 2015-16 due to staff shortages in the subject area, and budget cuts.

Managing Director of Groves, a large Haberdashery warehouse and distribution firm in Thame, and former pupil of the school made his expectations clear: “All students need a very good basic grasp of IT skills to ensure they succeed in employment now and in the future.’” Alun Rowe, Managing Director of Pentangle, a software development company in Thame shared his dismay at the current computer skills situation in schools: “In light of the current lack of digital skills at all levels across the UK, I find it, as both an employer and a parent, terrifying that our children’s access to computers in the classroom is being reduced as opposed to increased.”

Local group to work more closely with the school

As a result of the discussions at the school, Alun Rowe is getting together a group of interested employers to work more closely with the school to offer additional digital skills to students.
If you are interested in getting involved or learning more, you can contact Alun at Pentangle: alun.rowe@pentangle.co.uk

NOTE: Lord Williams’s School is an academy trust school for over 2000 students including Sixth Form. The Business Breakfast meetings are run three times a year and open to interested local businesses. Contact: Nicky Stallwood; E: n.stallwood@lordwilliams.oxon.sch.uk T: 01844 210524