Recent research reveals that 49% of job opportunities in the construction industry require candidates to have certain digital skills.
TheKnowledgeAcademy.com has scrutinised findings from Gov.uk which analysed over 8 million job adverts, and has discovered the UK industries that most and least require job applicants to have specific, industry-related digital skills.
It found that jobs in information and communications most require candidates to have relevant digital skills (79%), manufacturing needs specific digital competencies from prospective applicants for 69% of jobs, while 49% of opportunities in the construction sector need job hopefuls to have certain digital skills.
At a time of year when so many people begin job-hunting, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com also surveyed 562 UK employees planning to change jobs this year to find out the barriers which prevent them from developing existing digital skills as well as learning new ones that could boost their career prospects.
Most commonplace was a ‘lack of time’ (72% of respondents, followed by ‘not knowing where to start’ (67%), ‘feeling too lazy/tired’ (64%), ‘fear of failing’ (59%), ‘believing learning resources/courses will be too expensive’ (51%), ‘believing relevant learning resources/courses will be too hard to find’ (45%) and ‘feeling too old to learn new skills/digital skills’ (23%).
Joseph Scott, a spokesperson from the TheKnowledgeAcademy.com, commented: “It’s that time of the year where individuals are contemplating their careers and wondering if their job is giving them enough fulfilment. Those who conclude that they are unhappy in their current position, will undoubtedly search for new opportunities.
“Given that most industries have now been revolutionised by technology, companies need employees who can comfortably use different digital tools, programmes and software to drive business performance as well as achieve set objectives. Those entering the job market need to be aware of this, as this research clearly shows that certain industries are more demanding of particular digital skills than others.”
He and his team offer three top tips for jobseekers that will increase their competencies and career potential in 2020:
- Assess the job market: look at the required digital skills on the job specification of the roles you are interested in and then list them. This provides a focused approach towards what you should be aiming to learn.
- Resources for desired digital skills: search for courses/podcasts/videos/websites/books which provide detailed and concise information/guidance/learning materials/interactive exercises on desired digital skills.
- Schedule time for revision/practice: once you have identified key learning resources, schedule time for revision/practice. Don’t be too ambitious with hours and try choosing days where you are more likely to be relaxed (ie weekends).
