A worrying shortage of workers with digital skills will come under the spotlight at a free Zoom webinar taking place next week and hosted by the University of Kent.

Its Kent Business School (KBS) has organised the event - the first in a series of webinars for business leaders called 'Unfinished Business' - which takes place on Tuesday, June 8.

First on the agenda will be how business can respond to a 15% drop in students studying IT subjects at GCSE since 2015 and reports that only half of employers are able to provide the necessary training to bridge a fast approaching shortage of workers with the necessary digital skills.

It will ask how the UK can address the shortage after networking site LinkedIn reports 150million new technology jobs will be created in the next five years.

Dr Catherine Robinson, deputy dean at KBS and leading researcher on the digital skills shortages in Kent, will be one of those on the expert panel.

She explained: "Digital skills are the key to unlocking productive potential, which has never been more important as we emerge from Covid-19 and a decade of low growth.

"This webinar’s insights provide food for thought on leading topics such as digital skills, addressing the shortage and where the responsibility lays. The Unfinished Business webinar series will enable academic and professional experts to discuss vitally important topics such as this, for businesses and scholars alike."

Among the academics taking part in the roundtable discussion in the first webinar, entitled 'Are we minding the gap and digitally proofing the future?' will be Dr Hirbod Assa, a senior lecturer in finance and fintech at KBS; Lance Younger, a guest speaker from Procure Tech; and Lewis Squire, KBS student and CEO of Reality Rooms.

The event starts at noon. Those registering will also be able to watch the event on-demand.

To register for free click here.

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