Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy
Digital skills once meant having a basic grasp of computers. Now, it means being able to work
adaptably and strategically across tools, devices and platforms.
Digital literacy used to mean being able to send an email or type using a word-
processing programme. It was a skill largely required of knowledge workers –
people who might use specific software at work, and need to be fluent in how to
use it accordingly.
But the phrase has evolved significantly. Now, digital literacy means having
the skills to thrive in a society where communication and access to
information are increasingly done via digital technologies, such as online
platforms and mobile devices. The concept encompasses a broad
understanding of an array of digital tools that enable in-office, hybrid and
remote work across all types of workplaces: think real-time collaborative
software, live workplace chat apps and sophisticated asynchronous work
tools.
And, importantly, digital skills are no longer essential only in knowledge work.
“These are becoming universally applicable to almost everyone,” says Ying Zhou,
director of the Future of Work Research Centre at the University of Surrey,
UK. By 2019, a UK government report showed digital skills were required in at
least 82% of online advertised vacancies.
Zhou says workers who stand still and stop acquiring digital expertise risk falling
behind. “Every time technology is developed it pushes up the workforce’s skill
requirements. It becomes a race between digital skills and technology: the faster it
advances, the quicker we have to update our skills. The bar is being raised all the
time.”
Over time, a degree of digital expertise has become expected even in roles
unrelated to tech. From warehouse operators using cloud-based management
systems, to doctors consulting with patients via remote video appointments,
and contractors managing construction projects through mobile collaboration
apps, technology is no longer sector-specific.
"Цифрова грамотність - і вимоги роботодавців до цифрових навичок - еволюціонували в міру того, як економіка і ринок праці ставали
все більш оцифрованими", - говорить Денні Стейсі, керівник відділу розвідки талантів британської платформи найму Indeed, що
базується в Лондоні. "Те, що раніше розглядалося як бонус, зараз є вирішальним компонентом практично кожної професії".
This demand for digital literacy has spiked as employers adopt hybrid or remote-working patterns. “Today,
employers are far more likely to identify specific digital skills and name software they use,” says Stacy. “There
are greater requirements to have proficiency in office and project management tools, specific software so
employees work more effectively.”
Yet the growing importance of digital literacy doesn’t mean workers have to master all the software out there to
get a job. Instead, they have to be digitally confident: keen to try new technologies; embrace how the right tools
can streamline routine tasks and improve workplace collaboration; while also having the flexibility and
adaptability to learn new processes.