Will this innovative programme close the digital skills gap?

Arch Apprentices is preparing to launch the Digital Business Apprenticeship Qualification, which will introduce digital skills to new and existing employees across all of a business’ departments.

From communication tools like Skype and email to presentation tools like Excel and Powerpoint, comfort with digital tools is no longer the preserve of IT and marketing departments — it’s a necessary component of success across departments.

Arch’s new apprenticeship will combine business administration training with digital training, aiming to give employees the skills and mindset to compete in an agile, customer-centric and technology enabled business environment. According to Ben Rowland, co-founder of Arch, 150,000 administrative apprenticeships per year could be “supercharged” with this digital content.

He said: “For the overall digital skills gap this could be massive. We’re talking about systematically rolling out tens of thousands of people with newly acquired digital skills across the UK.

“Imagine how wonderful it would be for small companies, who are often stretched very thin in terms of resources, to have someone on board who could help their company take advantage of digital tools like Skype, cloud services, office tools like Excel and even key social media and web services. Their familiarity, comfort and ability with digital applications would make a massive difference to the business that employs them.”

The Digital Business Apprenticeship Qualification is a one-year structured programme comprised of 25 training days – conducted largely through Arch’s virtual classroom – and ongoing assessment and support. The qualification is accredited by City & Guilds.

The qualification is open to new and existing employees of all ages and is fully government-funded for employees aged 18 and under. For those aged 19 or above Arch charges between £5,000 and £7,000, dependant on the size of the company, while the government funds the remainder.

Rowland said: “Organisations haven’t fully grasped what technology can do for them in terms of becoming more nimble, responsive and customer-centric. They need people with a mindset that is up for that. That’s what our people are going to be learning, along with the digital tools themselves.

“A lot of companies will want to boost the digital skillset of their workforce in a systematic and structured way. What we’re doing is harnessing a government-subsidised program to offer a solution.”