Why growing talent from within is key to closing the digital skills gap

Public sector organizations globally need people with digital, data and technology skills to deliver value and meet the expectations of citizens. Yet the UK government alone has 4,000 vacancies.

In this episode, our host, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay discusses how to close the digital skills gap with Thomas Beautyman, Deputy Director, Government Digital Capability at the UK Cabinet Office. Also sharing their insights are Josie Cluer, Partner, People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP, and Arnauld Bertrand, EY Global Government & Public Sector Consulting Leader.

All three speakers agree that the need for digital skills extends to every public sector role. But with everyone competing for the same talent, organizations should focus on upskilling and re-skilling the people they already have — across all roles and levels.

Key takeaways:

• Building a tech-enabled workforce starts with identifying and prioritizing the skills the organization has now versus what it’ll need in future, and incorporating this into workforce planning.
• Leaders must recognize that proactively investing in these skills is necessary to realize the benefits of becoming fully digital. They must also role-model change for the rest of the organization.
• By training their people while improving the wider employee value proposition, public sector organizations will be able to tell a better story about their attractiveness as employers.
  

The series is also available to listen to on Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music and Podbean.

If you’d like to read more, a full text transcript of this podcast is available. Read the transcript.