Addressing the skills shortage by promoting diversity and inclusion

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and digital transformation, the demand for digital, data, and technology (DDaT) skills has never been greater. From leveraging data analytics to enhancing cybersecurity and implementing cutting-edge digital services, the public sector is increasingly reliant on DDaT expertise to deliver efficient, effective, and citizen-centric services. 

However, despite the growing importance of DDaT skills, Scottish Local Authorities are facing a significant shortage in this critical area. Let us explore the causes and consequences of the shortage of DDaT skills in the public sector and the potential strategies for addressing this pressing challenge.

The pace of technological change is outpacing the ability of public sector organisations to keep up, leading to a widening skills gap in DDaT areas such as data science, cybersecurity, coding and digital service delivery. To heighten pressures, it can be a struggle for local authorities to attract and retain top talent from drifting into the private sector, typically offering higher salaries and more opportunities for career advancement.

Without the right DDaT skills in place, we are beginning to witness inefficiencies, unreached ambitions and wasted resources. As a result, we need to explore how we avoid suboptimal outcomes, increased costs and missed opportunities for innovation and improvement.

As we would expect and frequently reference in discussions, we must focus on robust training and development programmes for building DDaT skills among existing employees. Without such consideration around supporting and upskilling the workforce, employees will struggle to keep pace with evolving technologies and trends.

Verity Hislop, Senior Project Manager highlights: “Empowering local government through upskilling in tech is not just an investment in skills; it’s an investment in the future of our communities, enabling us to harness the transformative power of technology for the betterment of all”.

If we are serious about addressing such challenges, we must explore the possibilities by working in collaboration with the private sector, academia and driving initiatives by promoting and embracing diversity and inclusion.

One organisation we are currently doing just that with are Code First Girls, be prepared to be inspired…

Code First Girls has become one of the largest providers of free coding courses for women globally, having delivered over £75 million worth of free technology education and teaching three times as many women to code as the entire UK university undergraduate system!

Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls said: “We are on a mission to close the gender gap in the tech industry by providing employment through free education. We’ve already helped more than 150,000 women learn to code and by working with companies globally, we’re boosting employability, diversity and social mobility, transforming local economies and communities. But we want to go further – our aim is to provide one million opportunities for women to learn to code and participate in the industry in the next five years, becoming the world’s first EdTech unicorn dedicated to women.” 

From that short insight into the work of Code First Girls and their ambitions, the Digital Office naturally wants in on the action! We are currently exploring how this model could align to our overall objectives to benefit Scottish local authorities and the wider public sector. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful partnership where we not only consider paving the way for diversity and inclusion, but introduce a way of doing by investing in our own employees with robust learning and development programmes. If this isn’t exciting enough, these possibilities also transform local economies and communities. What could the future look like? 

If you would like to find out more and get involved in this discovery, stay tuned and join us on this journey.