10 Digital Skills Examples to Help You Upskill Employees

Until relatively recently, digital savvy was the domain of younger generations in the workplace. Many workers got by on paper, pen, and basic word processing, and would ask for help when more technical challenges arose. 

But today, digital skills are required to be effective in almost any role. And in workers’ home lives, too. They’re seen as crucial to the entire UK economy, and 60% of UK businesses believe their reliance on advanced digital skills will increase. 

They’ve even been called “the bedrock on which our future is built.”

All workers, including digital natives like Gen Z, can benefit from digital upskilling. It’s up to Learning and Development teams to create opportunities for workers to level up digital skill sets and future-proof their organisations.

In this article, we’ll explain the UK-wide digital skills gap, and see examples of the core skills required to work. Then, we’ll look at examples of more advanced tasks and training that equip your business best for the future.

What are digital skills?

Digital skills are essentially the ability to use computers, smart devices, and the internet to access and manage information. This includes communicating, sharing content, collaborating with others, and solving problems. 

Below you’ll find a list of the 20 most pressing digital skills for UK workers, and examples of more advanced capabilities that can supercharge your workforce.

Most digital skills are transferable, meaning they apply easily to most roles, and aren’t company-specific. This makes them a real asset on job applications and CVs. 

Today, digital literacy and confidence are true life skills, often just as important outside the office as in.

What is the UK’s digital skills gap?  

The widening space between the demand for digital literacy and workers’ capabilities is called the digital skills gap. This gap was identified as a critical concern way back in 2015, when the Department for Education laid out its Essential Skills Framework. 

But since then, the gap has increased. A report from World Skills UK found that the number of young people taking IT subjects at GCSE has actually dropped by 40% since 2015. The same was found for A Levels, further education, and apprenticeships. 

In the UK, there’s a major divide between the skills sought by employers and the skillset of most workers. The 2023 Consumer Digital Index from Lloyds—an annual analysis—found that 25% of the UK “have the lowest digital capability.” Many of these are older than working age, but it included 300,000 people under 50. 

This doesn’t just mean workers lack highly specialised skills, like coding or quantum computing. It means a significant portion of workers aren’t able to properly use a computer or type efficiently.

In another study, roughly one in five adult respondents in the UK were unsure how to use the internet. This is especially concerning when you consider the 72% rise in cyber attacks in just two years.

In response, there’s a continued emphasis on building these skills nationwide. Digital skills are one of the core focus areas for Skills England, the cross-governmental body tasked with upskilling the UK workforce.

Digital skills for work are lacking

The Lloyds report identified 20 essential digital skills needed for work (“Work EDS”), and the number of working age British people who possess them. We’ve listed these skills in the next section.

Nearly one in five working age people in the UK don’t have the essential digital skills for work. As of 2023, 18% don’t meet the Work EDS level, a small decrease from 22% in 2022. 

So, what’s causing this gap in digital literacy? The problem was highlighted in 2015, but exacerbated by the pandemic. Remote work became the norm, and workers had to learn tools like Zoom virtually overnight. Those new to digital technologies had a steep learning curve with very little support. 

There’s also some concern about the education system. A recent report from Intel found that Gen Z students are graduating with a surprising lack of understanding when it comes to technology like AI and cybersecurity. 

Regardless of the causes, it’s good to see a collective focus on improving digital skills and preparing workers for the demands of the future. Digital competencies will only grow in importance, and it’s vital that organisations and the government upskill the national workforce.

Essential digital skills for work in the UK

As part of its report, Lloyds worked with the Department for Education to redefine the Essential Digital Skills framework. During this review, 20 digital skills for work were identified across five categories:

Communication

1. Communicate in the workplace using tools like email, Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
2. Use digital tools to create, share and collaborate with colleagues (such as Microsoft Teams, G-Suite, Office 365, DropBox).
3. Set up an account on a professional online network, community, or job site.

Information handling

1. Follow IT policies when sharing information internally and externally (classifying emails, sharing PDFs, encrypting sensitive information, sharing appropriate information on social media).
2. Securely access and share information at work across devices.

Transacting

1. Complete digital records on behalf of, or within your organisation (absences, timesheets, expenses, tax returns).
2. Access payslips and salary information digitally.

Problem solving

1. Find information online to solve work-related problems.
2. Use software required in your day-to-day job (spreadsheets, online booking systems, HR management, workflow management).
3. Improve your ability to do new things at work using online tutorials, learning platforms and how-to guides (LinkedIn Learning, YouTube, internal learning platforms) 
4. Improve productivity using digital tools (e.g. Trello, Microsoft Projects and Planner, Slack).

Being safe & legal online

1. Act with caution online and understand the risks and threats involved in working online (use anti-virus software, avoid certain types of websites).
2. Set privacy and marketing settings for websites and your accounts.
3. Follow data protection guidelines online.
4. Respond to requests for authentication for online accounts (resetting passwords, two factor authentication, authenticator apps). 
5. Identify secure websites.
6. Recognise suspicious links and spam or phishing attempts.
7. Update software and operating systems to prevent viruses and other risks.
8. Identify secure Wi-Fi networks to connect to. 
9. Be careful when sharing information online, knowing that online activity produces a permanent record.

As a reminder, around 7.5 million people (18%) in the UK workforce do not meet the level for Work EDS. This standard requires the ability to do one task from each of the above categories. And 5% cannot do any of the Work EDS tasks. 

Most of these skills are rudimentary—they get workers in the door and ensure they can function in the modern workplace. But to excel, modern businesses must also develop more advanced skills among their employees.

5 advanced digital skills examples

For workers who have the basics nailed down, there are plenty of upskilling opportunities around more advanced digital skills. L&D teams that take the time to upskill their workforce now will be at an advantage. As tech inevitably evolves, those workers will be the ones who can best keep up. 

These five more advanced digital skills focus on automations, like AI, as well as data sciences:

1. Project management 

Project management has moved beyond calendars and human coordination. Digital tools are now ubiquitous and very useful, but are also becoming increasingly complex. Used well, they automate the manual and tedious parts of project tracking. But there’s quite a learning curve to get to that point, and many team members get frustrated and give up. 

Give your workers the skills to keep projects on track with digital organisational tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion. Help them move past the beginner stage to become confident, high-level users. 

Project management platforms are now also a critical management tool. So developing these skills sets up more junior staff for the next steps in their careers.

2. Artificial intelligence 

Many employees are (rightly) worried about the impact it could have on their roles and future, with reports that it could replace 300 million jobs, or more than a quarter of all tasks in the US and Europe. 

But it also promises to create new ones, and to transform the way many roles are performed today. Employees need to get comfortable with using AI tools, writing prompts, and incorporating it into their day to day.

As the world shifts more towards AI-enabled work, the companies that tackle this issue early and empower their teams are most likely to thrive.

3. Digital marketing basics 

This includes areas for digital content creation, like social media marketing and email marketing. It also includes digital marketing skills like marketing automation and SEO.

Expert-level aptitude isn’t necessary in most roles. But understanding how users search the internet and shop and how to speak to the right audience is helpful in sales, product development, customer support, and plenty more.

A company that can coherently write for and communicate with its target market has a huge advantage. 

4. Data visualisation

This is a kind of data analysis that focuses on transforming data into eye-catching visuals to catch the attention of viewers. Using this well in presentations and when making business cases is critical. 

But more broadly, companies are constantly pushing to be data driven. Every employee needs to know how to read graphs and data illustrations, and apply insights to their own work. Otherwise, they’re left out of key business conversations, and ultimately left behind.

5. User experience design (UX)

Mastering UX design takes serious learning, and again isn’t something that most employees need. But understanding the essentials and speaking the basic language is. 

Ensure any digital products your workforce builds will succeed by giving your workers a foundational understanding of user experience best practices. They can go a step further and experiment with prototype testing software.

This can then be applied to your products, marketing and sales funnels, and even hiring and onboarding processes. 

Close your digital skills gaps quickly

Digital upskilling has tremendous benefits not only for employees, but also for organisations to improve employee satisfaction and retain top talent.

A continuous learning culture can encourage workers to declare learning needs, work collaboratively on training materials, and share knowledge to upskill in the flow of their work. 

So, what can your organisation do to close its digital skills gap? Here are four recommendations:

• Identify the gaps in your workforce with a training needs analysis.
• Encourage self-directed learning, so workers can access training materials to upskill in the flow of their work. 
• Build mentorship opportunities to provide long-term support to colleagues. 
• Find ways to encourage internal knowledge sharing, like discussion forums, skillshare sessions, or networking events.

Interested to learn how you can support your workers through a continuous learning culture? Get in touch with one of our learning experts to find out more.