World Youth Skills Day - Digital Skills

We spoke to some of our graduates and interns about their experiences at Arqiva and how they are growing their digital skills

According to recent research, 27% of UK workers say they lack the sufficient digital skills required for their job role. This issue is felt across broadcast and utilities, with 76% of leaders in the utilities sector concerned about the availability of digital skills and a similar sentiment felt across the broadcast sector.

This skills gap not only leaves individuals feeling unprepared, but could stunt future innovation across these key industries.

The drive towards digital readiness has never been more important, and this is recognised amongst young people, who view digital skills as essential to their careers. It is vital that organisations play their part to prepare the future workforce for the demands of a digital future.

At Arqiva were supporting our graduates to enhance their existing knowledge and augment their skillsets across different technologies like AI tools, collaboration platforms and data analytics applications, so that they can thrive in our business, and build future-proof careers.

To mark this year's United Nations World Youth Skills Day, and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship, we spoke to some of our graduates and interns about their experiences at Arqiva and how they are growing their digital skills.

How has your prior experience helped you to deploy your digital skill set at Arqiva? Tamjid Ali, Commercial Risk Manager - Winchester:

Before Arqiva I worked in data analytics, which provided a strong foundation for my current role. In my day-to-day, I spend a lot of time analysing smart utilities market data to spot trends and anomalies that feed into plans with the senior business development team. Looking back, the time that I invested in developing my data analytics skills was invaluable. For me, everyone should be open to experimenting with new technologies to understand how they can augment, streamline and enhance their work.

What new digital skills have you learnt at Arqiva and how is it helping your day-to-day activity? Tariro Chengeta, Graduate Sales and Account Manager Daventry:

Digital skills mean different things to different people. Right now, I'm pursuing my qualification in Commercial and Contract Management (CCMA), and for me applications that drive collaboration and teamwork, such as Microsoft Teams are great. Essentially, with just the push of a button I can connect with my team and the wider Arqiva business, which has been really important for my development.

The way we support our graduate colleagues to develop their skills, and progress their careers, is far from one-size-fits all.

Our unique approach to their development blends technical knowledge with immersive, on-the-job experiences in our business functions, and connects our graduates with mentors and fellow apprentices.

Curiosity is at the heart of our culture, so we work closely with our graduates to match the demands of the industry to their interests - making it a partnership which enables success and innovation.

How do your digital skills help make change at Arqiva? Luke O'Brien, Graduate Commercial Change Manager - Chalfont:

Data underpins everything I do in my work for the DCC, working with SMEs to manage and mitigate risks in line with new policies on the relevant platforms. More broadly, I'm a firm believer that everyone should be looking to develop their digital skill. At the moment, we're experimenting with different AI tools to automate tasks and streamline workloads, such as Salesforce Automation.

For organisations, the drive towards digital readiness is not only about attracting and retaining great talent, but creating an agile and responsive workforce, ready for whatever challenges tomorrow brings.

How do you see the new digital skills you are developing help your work across the industry in the future? Tamjid Ali:

Digital skills are already so important to our work at Arqiva. Looking forward, I have no doubt that technology such as AI is going to continue to transform the work that we're doing. Part of what we do involves creating visual representations of data, and it's here where I think AI will help to speed up our work by helping with the creation of graphs and matrixes.

What advice would you give young people looking to embed technology skills in their future careers? Lani McKim, Graduate Commercial Manager London:

I can't emphasise enough the importance of just experimenting with what you have in front of you. Whether it's a phone, tablet, or laptop, testing out new software and applications that catch your eye is such a great way to enhance your digital skills.

Nurturing talent through continuous learning opportunities and supporting our graduates to grow their skills in line with an ever-evolving landscape, remains a priority. In this way, we can empower new generations of professionals to embrace a digital-first world and thrive.

Published

15/07/2024

Author

Press Office

LINK:	https://www.arqiva.com/news-views/views/youth-skills-day...
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