A recent survey found that more than 70% of IT leaders internationally saw the digital skills gap as an urgent concern. The reasons for the lack of personnel with the appropriate skills is multi-faceted but two issues have exacerbated the challenges faced by the ICT sector in recruiting and retaining staff with the right skills: The rapid evolution of technology and the pandemic.

The pandemic has accelerated the growth of the adoption of cloud services while also leading to people re-evaluating their work-life balance. This has fed the increasing demand for high level ICT skills and resulted in more competition when hiring people with those skills.

Yet the thirst for change in people’s lives is also an opportunity for ICT companies. A recent survey by BT found given the opportunity, 69% of people would reskill and work in a different specialism, with technology (18%) topping the list of sectors that people wished they could switch to.

In short, businesses are searching for workers with digital expertise, and candidates are searching for employers willing to train them.

So, how should ICT employers exploit this situation for the benefit of staff and their businesses?

Traditional classroom training for new entrants requires trainers who are also technology specialists and who have time to keep up to date with the rapid changes in their field. This combination of skills is in short supply.

A blended learning approach to technology training uses trainers’ time for efficiently and reduces the time spent by trainees away from the workplace. Knowledge is delivered online using elearning while skills are learned at the workplace with support from mentors. Periodic meetings (virtual or real) with a trainer encourages group discussions to re-enforce learning.

PTT has a wealth of experience of supporting blended learning in the telecoms and ICT sectors. PTT e-learning courses are regularly updated to ensure they are relevant and reflect current practice.

The UK’s national apprenticeship week 2022, which starts on the 7th of February, provides an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the advantages of apprenticeships for businesses and individuals.

This year’s theme is “build the future”, reflecting on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

Apprenticeships provide a solution for the challenges faced by the ICT sector where the demand for technical talent is outstripping supply.

PTT is proud that its online courses are successfully providing a cost-effective and flexible way of supporting apprentices in the telecommunications and ICT sector.

Learn more about PTT solutions for apprenticeship delivery here.

The old
The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has proposed stronger rules to protect the remaining, iconic, red phone boxes that are often used to symbolise life in the UK in supposedly more tranquil times.
These public payphone boxes may look like obsolete relics in an age of ubiquitous smartphones, but regulator Ofcom said they can still be a “lifeline” for people in need.
The regulator is proposing rules to prevent 5,000 call boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage from being removed from service. Phone boxes in areas with high incidents of accidents or suicide attempts will also be protected.

And the new
Telephony has in the last few years undergone perhaps the most significant changes since the first telephone call was made almost 150 years ago.
The adoption of voice over IP technology by public telephony providers and businesses has changed the telephony landscape, and the use of Internet telephony and video conferencing has become ubiquitous.
PTT’s new online course “Introduction to telephony” covers the principles of operation, structure, and management of both legacy circuit-switched systems and those employing voice over IP techniques.
Both private and public telephone networks are discussed providing a valuable introduction for technicians joining the telecoms and ICT sectors.