"Digital Day" calling on students to plug growing skills gap

School children from across the UK are being invited to take part in “Digital Day” – a nationwide drive designed to fill in the growing digital skills gap thwarting growth in the sector.

The initiative from the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) will invite pupils to take part in workshops as part of a nationwide competition, in a bid to raise awareness of opportunities within the sector and offer careers advice.

The campaign comes as recent studies predict that around 750,000 digitally skilled workers will be needed to meet growing demand, as the sector grows faster than skills can be supplied.

BIMA is inviting 10,000 students to join the digital awareness drive and hopes to sign-up more than 100 of the country’s biggest digital agencies to send out experts into classrooms.

Natalie Gross, BIMA executive committee member and chief executive of digital agency Amaze, said: “There are fantastic opportunities for young people – from social media and app development to digital design – but there is a lack of awareness about digital career opportunities.

“BIMA Digital Day offers inspiration, practical advice and a hands-on experience that will get young people excited about a future as part of the digital economy.”