Tech-savvy prospectus aims to plug UK’s growing digital skills gap

By Jennifer Brickwood, Assistant Principal Engineering, Computing and Built Environment 

Technology and digital skills are of vast importance in virtually every modern workplace, but recent Government data has shown that about 1 in 5 UK companies have a skills-based vacancy. 

Moreover, the digital skills gap in Scotland specifically is costing businesses north of the border £361m per year. 

This growing digital skills gap is debilitating for the UK economy and it is the role of the education sector to fill this void with tech-savvy candidates armed with all the skills required in the modern workplace. 

Glasgow Clyde College has recently announced its most digitally-driven prospectus yet with courses and modules in lock-step with emerging trends from, and requirements of, the labour market. 

Spanning from eSports, Cyber Security, Web Development and Data Science - the college’s digital-first approach ensures that students have the information, skills and confidence to remain ahead of the curve and seize opportunities in the new economy. 

We offer a wide range of courses and pathways beyond the ‘standard’ IT modules. Staff at Glasgow Clyde College are aware that digital competency is essential in the modern workplace, and is a highly transferable skill. For this reason, we endeavour to include tech aspects into each of our courses - be this through our virtual learning environment or a specific computer-aided program. 

Our computing courses have evolved in line with industry developments and we now offer and exciting and unique portfolio. eSports is currently one of the most exciting areas in the entertainment and computing world. The NQ Computing and eSports course at Glasgow Clyde College develops skills and social media reach so gamers can grow their portfolio and gaming audience. The Computing and IT aspect of the course prepares learners for progression to HND level courses within the College. 

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. The Cyber Security course at Glasgow Clyde College provides students with skills in areas such as Digital Forensics, Ethical Hacking, Cryptography and Cloud Computing. These cyberattacks are usually aimed at accessing information, extorting money from users or disrupting business processes. Our courses are designed to provide students with the skills to work in the industry to prevent these attacks. 

Data Science combines a number of fields to extract information from data sets. These methods allow companies to grow their business and increase customer satisfaction. Our NPA in Data Science at Glasgow Clyde College provides students with the skills to capture, maintain, process and analyse data. This is an area of massive growth for IT professional jobs. 

The innovative HND in Web Development course teaches highly proficient web and mobile skills. The course is taught by expert developers and shares the most in-demand techniques and skills for the creation of mobile and web applications. Students learn how to build mobile apps and e-commerce websites and gain working knowledge of popular frameworks such as React, Express.js and GitHub. 

Additionally, to bolster digital skills in the community, staff across the College have helped to distribute thousands of laptops and internet dongles to students who need them most, ensuring equality of opportunity for all, regardless of the financial or domestic situation. 

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, there is no doubt that, without action, the skills gap will grow. So, we see it as our duty, and the duty of the educational sector, to bring technology to the forefront of our students’ education to help bridge the digital divide. 

Find out more about computing courses at Glasgow Clyde College