When we think of digital skills, images of people coding, fixing computers and using multiple applications come to mind.
But this limited view of digital skills is putting significant growth at risk. This article reveals the misunderstanding around digital skills and the impact this could have on UK businesses.
Privacy online: Being safe and legal online
There are laws that say what we can and cannot do online. These keep people, their work, and their data safe. Posting something online creates a permanent record that others can see now and in the future. You should never post hateful, offensive or harmful things. Essential digital security skills include installing antivirus software on your machine and keeping it up to date, using strong passwords that you don’t share with anyone, and knowing how to spot suspicious or “scam” content in emails or pop-ups. (A good rule of thumb is, if you don’t know and trust the sender, don’t open it.)
Staying legal online also includes not using other people’s words, images, or content. This is copyright infringement; a simpler word for this is steal. You must get permission before using, creating your own original work, or using free stock sites like Pixabay.
5 types of digital skills to adopt
Just learning basic coding skills will no longer be enough. As a job seeker or student, you need to learn the right skills to be employable and get a good job. Employers prefer to hire candidates who have problem-solving skills, better communication, and creativity. So, you need to improve your networking skills, social media branding, etc. to increase your employment opportunities.
- MS Office Skills: Various skills, these days, have become integral to all profiles and job titles. You must have a good knowledge of MS Office as it will help you to accomplish tasks effortlessly. You must acquire the basic skill to master preparing spreadsheets and presentations. You also need to increase your knowledge of advanced versions of MS Office Suite to get an edge over others.
- Online profile management: Nowadays, people have been using different types of social media platforms to share their opinions and search for information. They also share information, likes and tweets. Popular social media platforms like Quora, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. They have managed to develop millions of active users. You can make a strong presence through different social media channels by investing some time. You can do various types of activities on these social media platforms to build your image easily. Today, employers search for candidates with essential digital skills by consulting social media platforms.
TOPIC: DIGITAL SKILLS
1. Introduction
2. Meaning and components of digital skills
The benefit of digital skills for employers
Having a workforce with a variety of digital skills has numerous benefits for your business. Being able to embrace new technology in the workplace helps streamline work processes, meaning less time is spent on repetitive tasks and freeing up staff to focus their efforts on higher-value work that helps you so much as well as their employees to achieve the objectives.
In general, the improvement in efficiency produced by digital technology creates space for companies to be more collaborative and innovative. This, in turn, creates an exciting and productive work environment to be a part of, leading to better staff retention and acquisition.