So how important is it to be proficient in digital and tech skills?

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has said digital technologies are reshaping the world of work and traditional jobs.

Companies have been told they need to ensure they too evolve and keep pace with these new trends in a labour market that “increasingly relies on digital skills”.

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and cloud computing are fundamentally changing the workforce, according to the WEF.

It said governments must invest in supporting the workforce to develop the necessary digital skills to thrive in future labour markets while education systems will also have to adapt so that “a digital-ready workforce emerges from schools, colleges and universities”.

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Irish colleges and universities have begun to focus on increasing the level of proficiency of tech and digital skills within its programmes to adequately prepare students for entering the workforce.

Dr Frances Boylan, digital education manager at TU Dublin, said the university had just started a “huge overhaul” in the area of digital skills.

Ms Boyan said its strategic plan notes they want to develop the “most digitally competent or capable students”. She said from September various disciplines will be looking at ways to embed different tech skills into undergraduate courses.

“We’re not necessarily focusing on specific skills when it comes to a particular programme. So we don’t have in our [digital capabilities] framework you know, all of our students will be able to use Word because Word could be gone in two years, we don’t know,” she said.

“So a lot of the digital capabilities we’re trying to develop in our students are around that ability to adapt, being able to assess an app or a piece of software, being able to evaluate it for what it is, being able to compare and contrast it with other apps and programmes that do the same thing.

“In terms of functionality, being comfortable in any piece of software they go into, being able to find out how to use it or knowing how to search, how to find out how to use these kinds of tools, technologies.

“So there’s a big focus on that, we want our students to be adaptable.”

Ms Boylan added there was a very strong focus on digital wellbeing within TU Dublin’s digital framework, along with the critical use of information and creative digital production.

“As the workplace becomes more digitalised, where we’re using these technologies all the time, they do certainly start to have an impact on our personal wellbeing and mental health,” she said.

“It’s about making students aware of the ways they are and will be working and how to combat any negative impact around these technologies. So again, employers know they are getting students that are well-rounded, adaptable and capable of looking after themselves in this new kind of working environment.”

Dr Kevin Marshall, head of education at Microsoft Ireland, said the core skills of communication, teamwork and collaboration were critical to entering the company, while there is an expectation that most graduates would be “reasonably proficient” in terms of tech and IT skills.

Mr Marshall also stressed the importance of ensuring that digital skills are “for everybody” and introducing interaction with the area before third-level education.

“I think there has been a big shift in the last number of years to really increase the level of [digital] proficiency within college students in most degrees,” he said.

“Over the last several years, you’ve seen a lot of mixing and matching of degrees. So in UCD, where the social science [programme] now adds the whole computation thinking layer, which I think is quite good.

“If you look at computer science and engineering, they would be heavy on the data side and the computer literacy stuff. I think other more traditional courses like history and arts are now moving to that. I suppose the experience of Covid has accelerated the infusion of technology and digital skills within our ecosystem, because we’ve all had to learn it.

“I think there are still some challenges out there, less so in the universities, but more so in the wider general population, we have to think about further on down in terms of primary and secondary schools.

“We need to be much more focused in making the digital literacy skills lifelong skills that start early, when you’re in the beginning of primary school.”

Mr Marshall added that one of the key skills that Microsoft looks for, and society will need going forward, is a deeper understanding of data.

“The uses of data, from the simple production of a histogram and the central theorems and all that sort of stuff . . . I think that’s an area that is in the curriculum now at third level over the last number of years,” he said.

“That’s more of the type of skillset that I think we certainly require and wider industry will require stuff like that going forward.

“Specific disciplines will look at specific areas, but again we would like the students to come in with a certainly good basis of skills, but then where we have particular programming technology we use, we will teach the students to do all that as they become employees through the grad programme and so on and that would also be through some of the engineering technologies that would emerge.”

David Kilmartin, head of TU Dublin’s career development centre, said students should also be conscious of their “personal brand” online and digital footprint, and that this now falls under digital literacy skills.

“From a career development perspective, the way in which you put your personal brand out there and the way in which you network and connect over the internet . . . that can be pivotal in getting an opportunity or not getting an opportunity,” he said.

“So the way in which you present yourself in the world is really important and the digital footprint that you leave behind, ask yourself what is the digital footprint you want to leave behind?

“What do you want others to know about you or see about you, and then having the artifacts, that evidence of your skills development, that could be projects or who you are, how you move in the world and who you connect with, there’s a whole protocol around that.

“It’s really important how you manage that digital profile, that’s the brand of you and people could investigate that brand because you’re potentially their employee of the future.”

Tony Moroney, programme director for the digital leadership, digital transformation and cybersecurity programmes at the Irish Management Institute, said Ireland had become a “hub for global and fast-growing tech businesses” due to the large number of global tech companies located here.

Mr Moroney said as a result, “attracting and upskilling existing talent” will be critically important in an “increasingly hyper-connected digital world”.

He said some colleges have made “significant strides” in incorporating tech and online skills into their curriculums, particularly in fields where these skills are in high demand.

“Many institutions now offer degrees in data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and other emerging tech fields,” he said.

Mr Moroney said organisations are making great efforts to become “digital data-driven enterprises” with roles such as cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud and edge computing, software development, coding and robotics all in demand.

“Given the events of the past year, artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G, the metaverse including virtual and augmented reality and the future of the internet have become more prevalent,” he said.

“Apart from technical skills, other areas such as people skills, problem-solving and creativity are being increasingly recognised as critical.”

Mr Moroney added that undoubtedly, the rapid advancement of technologies “can outpace traditional educational structures”, resulting in a gap between what students learn and the skills employers currently need.

He said short programmes can be useful in addressing such gaps and that individuals will have to “continually adapt and pursue lifelong learning for our skills to remain relevant”.

“Upskilling can be a great way for anyone to boost their career prospects,” he said. “We live in an age where technology and society are evolving at an unprecedented rate.

“The skills and knowledge that are relevant today may be outdated in a few years. Continuous learning enables us to stay current and adaptable.”