Advanced Digitalisation and Data Literacy: The Future of Work

Our Workplace Training Report 2023 highlights the exponential growth of data and digital technologies. It has become crucial for organisations to embrace advanced digitalisation and empower their employees with the necessary data skills to stay ahead of the curve. 

The future of work is data-driven, and organisations that do not embrace advanced digitalisation and data literacy risk being left behind. Data skills are fast becoming the most valuable currency a business can have. The digital skills shortage is costing the UK economy £12.8bn every year, and will impact all areas of a business if it cannot adapt to the growing demands of the modern workplace. 

Introducing data-led initiatives and processes requires organisations to have data-literate employees. According to recent research, 41% of employees consider data skills to be the most essential skill for the future of work, followed by software development (34%), AI skills, data science (22% for both), and automation (20%). With a persisting data skills gap, businesses must take steps to introduce data training for their employees. Recognising the data skills gap within an organisation is vital to achieving a successful digital transformation that will drive business success.

Data literacy and democratisation are critical for organisations’ strategic growth and success. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that global data will increase ten times by 2025. As a result, there will be more data-driven enterprises and a demand for a data-literate workforce, making digital and data skills training a priority for all organisations in 2023. 

To embed a data-driven culture within an organisation, there must be a company-wide understanding, usage, and engagement of data’s value as a driver of everyday success. 

According to Gartner’s annual Leadership Perspective Survey by Endava, data governance and data-driven culture are CDOs’ top focus areas. The core goals for data governance include improving processes and efficiencies (60%), improving business outcomes (55%), and making data-driven decisions (52%). However, 47% of respondents cited a lack of skills as one of the main challenges for data-driven culture in their organisation. 

Transforming an organisation’s culture to become data-driven requires a commitment to upskilling and reskilling the existing workforce to empower them to drive change with the ability to make data-driven decisions.

Data literacy is now a requirement of the modern workplace. Every organisation produces data that can drive better decisions across the business if only employees know how to clean it, visualise it, and make decisions with it. According to Mckinsey Global Institute, data-driven organisations are not only 23 times more likely to acquire customers but also six times as likely to retain customers and 19 times more likely to be profitable.

BARC research surveyed a range of businesses and found that those using big data saw an 8% increase in profit and a 10%reduction in cost. The companies also listed other benefits of embedding a data-driven culture: 69% cited better strategic decisions, 54% said that big data improved their control of operational processes, and 52% stated that they better understood their customers as a result.

The Employer Student Development Survey 2022 reported that 26% of employers are already developing technical coding skills for school and college leavers. For Generation Z, this is an attractive learning and development offer, with 57% believing this to be more important than a higher salary. 

In today’s data-driven world, the benefits of investing in data skills training are substantial; increased profits, increased customer base, better decision-making, improved business operations and greater employee retention and recruitment. Not only is it essential for organisations to empower data literacy across their workforce, but it’s also highly profitable.

Advanced digitalisation and data literacy are critical for the future of work. Data-driven decision-making has become the norm, and upskilling employees in digital and data skills must be a priority for organisations. Data governance and data-driven culture must be embraced throughout the organisation through training and communications. By investing in data training, businesses can reap the benefits of improved decision-making, increased efficiency, competitive advantage, and enhanced customer engagement. 

We offer a range of programs designed to enhance data competency and promote data-driven decision-making in the workplace. Each of our programs can be tailored to meet your organisation’s specific needs. We specialise in blended learning programs that offer one-to-one learning opportunities and pair learners with experienced and knowledgeable coaches. 

Explore our data and tech programmes below: