The Digital and Technology sector is a high priority sector for the Collab Group because there is a growing demand for digital and tech skills from employers of all shapes and sizes. In 2017, the UK was in the top three countries in the world for total capital investment in digital tech companies. The digital and tech sector is worth nearly £184 billion and is expanding 2.6 times faster than the rest of the UK economy.
Despite this rapid growth, there are still significant concerns over skills gaps in the tech sector, with recent research revealing that 89% of STEM businesses have found it difficult to hire staff with the required skills in the last 12 months. It is crucial to fill in these roles as the sector is helping to drive innovation across the economy and provides platforms for entirely new products and services.
A critical challenge that the industry is facing is also over a lack of diversity. Only 19% of the digital tech workforce is female, compared to 49% across the broader economy. Resultingly employers within the sector are starting to think seriously about how they promote inclusion and equality in digital companies.
Beyond people pursuing a career in the digital and tech sector, there is still a gap in knowledge regarding basic digital skills. As services become increasingly digitised, workers need to be equipped with essential digital skills to progress, or even, enter the workforce. According to research by Lloyds Bank in 2017, more than one in five British people do not have basic digital skills, and 9% are offline altogether.
On all these counts Collab Group colleges are uniquely poised to help the digital and tech sectors to address their workforce training and development needs. Collectively Collab Group colleges can deliver a comprehensive portfolio of apprenticeships and training courses across the UK.
The Collab Group colleges deliver a truly national and industry relevant digital programmes which enable students to progress into the digital industries. All programmes are delivered with employability in mind, through close engagement with industry employers, trade bodies and sector experts. We work in partnership with Digital Skills Solutions, who offer world-class training and relevant work placements for young professionals in the digital sector.
Collab Group aims to close the gap in skills by encouraging digital and tech education at both higher and lower levels. We have access to a talent pool of over 600,000 learners providing a deep base for the digital and tech industries to draw from.
