Digital skills education is patchy, says Capgemini chairman

Capgemini UK Chairman Christine Hodgson has spoken out about the lack of digital skills in the UK, stating that digital skills education in schools is “patchy.”

According to Hodgson, schools are finding it difficult to keep up with technology as it changes so often.

Disengaged

The increase in non-tech jobs requiring technical knowledge means that people across all sectors need to learn how to use technology.

Hodgson warned that if young people do not receive help with learning digital skills, there is a chance that they will eventually become “disengaged.”

She added that employers should tell schools what digital skills are needed in the industry so that as many children as possible can leave school with “100% employability.”

Training

Capgemini has already taken action to tackle the digital skills shortage by providing educational programmes for young people in the UK.

The company has teamed up the Prince’s Trust for the scheme, which consists of a workshop for troubled 13- to 19-year-olds, an apps programme for underprivileged and unemployed 16- to 25-year-olds, and a vocational training programme for 16- to 25-year-olds.

Kaher Khan, who completed the company’s Get Started With Apps programme, said: “The programme gave us a lot of digital skills and it gave us a lot of business acumen, as well as confidence that people are out there to help. There are definitely a lot of tech things happening in the future for us.”