Digital transformation has risen rapidly to the top of the corporate agenda. A report by Accenture found that since the pandemic, accelerated digital transformation, including cloud and data, has become the number-one area that CEOs prioritize.
However, according to a Microsoft study, these ambitions are being hindered by a global digital skills gap, with 65% of IT decision-makers finding it difficult to hire qualified talent.
Thankfully, there are other options. Rather than stay mired in the war for talent, forward-thinking organizations are taking matters into their own hands by creating talent pipelines based around Digital Academies.
Building Your Own Digital Academy
Digital Academies are ongoing strategic training and development programs that allow businesses and organizations to grow and develop talent with the specific skills needed to meet their strategic and digital transformation goals and to do so over long periods.
Digital Academies can be set up by either businesses or government bodies at the country and even continent levels. The first step is to assess short-, medium–, and long-term digital skills requirements in the light of broader objectives. This ensures an understanding how and where specific skills might feed into or even drive growth.
One of the main benefits of Digital Academies is that they enable upskilling with an eye on the present and the future. With a pipeline of digital talent ready to be deployed, leaders can plan ahead confidently, knowing their team can hit the ground running.
Digital Academies also allow flexibility since the program can be adapted to respond to shifting skill requirements. There is scope to pivot existing talent from non-tech roles to positions with in-demand tech skills or to level up talent within desired skill areas, deepening and widening knowledge and equipping the team to take on more complex tasks. This inclusive approach ensures that new tech talent pools, professionals and leaders from all backgrounds, can acquire the necessary digital skills to thrive in today’s changing tech landscape.
Ultimately, digital academies provide collaboration and networking opportunities globally as hubs of innovation where groundbreaking technologies and use cases are conceptualized and developed. In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, these academies are essential for those seeking to thrive in the knowledge and technology-driven economy.
Investing in Your People
As well as reducing the need for external recruitment, Digital Academies provide irrefutable proof of an organization’s commitment to its people, which is crucial when building and retaining a skilled team.
Investing in people development lets your team know that they are valued. When people feel valued, they are more likely to respond in kind by committing more fully to the organization in the short term and hopefully well into the future.
If you would like to learn more about our framework to establish advanced Digital Academies models or discuss your digital upskilling needs, don’t hesitate to contact the Elev8 team here.
