Digital skills crisis in 2018 — How to think about the future job marketplace

The digital economy is transforming the way people work and the skills needed to succeed.

Find out what you need to know about the global skills gap.

The digital economy is transforming the global economy and digital skills are now needed more than ever to succeed in the workforce. Just a few years ago, it was thought these skills would only be needed by coders and web developers. Today, they are highly important and even vital to the operation of most businesses.

Employers Want More Digital Skills

In 2017 a report was published by the European Commission, on the impact of ICT on the transformation of jobs and skills. Showing that digital technologies are used in all types of jobs, also in economic sectors not related to digitalization. According to the report: 38% of workplaces report that the lack of digital skills has an impact on their performance.

Such as: 46% — loss of productivity and 43% — decrease in the number of customers. Employers are starting to realize the importance of digital skills on their bottom line. These are skills students can no longer ignore.

New pathways to skill development

Not long ago, earning a formal university degree was good enough to make a mark on the world, but that’s changed. In a previous article we explored how the traditional model of education is designed much like a factory line. They decide what you learn, how you learn and most programs take multiple years to complete. The disconnect has grown so much that, 66% of recently surveyed higher education students believe they’re learning the wrong skills.

As technology evolves, there is a major risk that the skills gap will increase, if we don’t create new pathways to employment.

They call the problem a skills gap, and in more alarming language, a potential crisis that could stall the global economy. In our view, it’s very simple. Students do not have easy access to reliable education that can assure employment in the high-growth sectors they want to join.

Enter Non formal Education

Not surprisingly, there are many in the world trying to address the need. No global statistics are kept on non-formal education programs. But globally there are tens of thousands online and offline training programs that teach every conceivable skill. The clearest, shortest pathway for students for a high growth career in tech are coding schools. There are several hundred in Eastern Europe alone and the results so far are mixed.

The sheer number of schools is a blessing and a problem. The options are endless, but the infrastructure to compare, review, and approach them is nonexistent. How does one know in which school to enroll, or which graduates to hire? It’s not easy, so you need to research each program carefully.

Obviously, the challenge before us is twofold. Students should be empowered to know exactly where to seek an education. While employers deserve to have reliable information about the education of incoming employees.

Competitive Ranking

The vision of If When Then is to bring order to the fragmented and confusing ecosystem of non-formal education. We’ve already made great strides across Eastern Europe. By partnering with many leading and emerging schools that have produced some of the world’s brightest programmers. In the near future we will further this network throughout Europe, Africa, and the entire world. Eventually, the ecosystem will live on the EOS blockchain to ensure data transparency, trust, and efficiency.

Non-formal education has already begun evolving! If When Then competitive ranking system will play a critical role in helping students and employers make the right decision to stay competitive. In other words, there’s far more to come.

A movement is coming in the non formal education ecosystem and you can be part of it!

Non-formal education is a way to build the professional networks that you need to launch your career. Check us out at https://tapyournetwork.com/

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