Having a wide spectrum of digital skills is very advantageous when entering the Tech sector. It means you can have a wide understanding of various processes and work more effectively between departments and on projects with your company. Acquiring different digital skills can help you tremendously in the workplace and help to discover what you would love to specialise in. Right now, a vast variety of digital skills are needed, 82% of all online job advertisements within the UK and 92% of businesses state that at least a basic level of digital skills are a necessity to operate effectively within their companies.

The great part about joining the IT and Tech workforce is that the demand for professionals is really, really high and once you’re capable and up-to-date on the latest technology and show your passion to hiring managers, you stand a fantastic chance of entering the sector. Since the pandemic, over 100,000 new tech job openings have become available within the UK alone! That’s a lot of vacancies. So, if you’re looking to get ahead and delve into some of the most sought-after digital skills, here are some of our top suggestions to help elevate your tech career and gain some of the top hard skills you’ll find useful going into the field and discovering where your passion lies. 

Gain a solid understanding of how systems and networks operate

Obtaining core knowledge on networks is essentially an extension of good communication and technical skills combined. You can gain insights on day-to-day operations and understand the digital infrastructure behind the IT departments daily operations. This could include learning up on IP setup, wireless modems and routers, core hardware components and more. 

Other related areas to read up on include troubleshooting on issues with internet connectivity, diagnosing and actioning repairs for optimum connectivity and speed as well as identifying ways of streamlining processes.

A recent report from Cisco found that the number of devices connected to IP networks will be more than three times the global population by 2023. Plenty of opportunities to apply your network and systems knowledge into your career! 

Get acquainted with cloud computing to work more effectively

Consider reading and learning about the ins and outs of Cloud computing. It’s a digital skill that employers in today’s high-tech IT sector are actively seeking. It allows workers to seamlessly process power, access and manage online data storage, saving over internet servers instead of just the operating system they’re working from. 

Storing files in the Cloud is a fantastic measure to prevent accidents and viruses. With this in mind, 60% of IT and Tech companies are looking to expand their usages of the Cloud – it’s definitely an essential resource not only to yourself but your company too!

Recent LinkedIn data found that Cloud computing abilities were the number one hard skill sought-after by employers in 2019 and demand continues to increase in the IT  industry. As companies embrace all things Cloud, employers are struggling to find individuals with the right skills or experience. The lack of people without Cloud capabilities is a cause of concern, with 90% of companies reporting a decline in multiple Cloud related disciplines. Having cloud computing knowledge on your resume is a huge plus to recruiters and employers alike. 

Start learning about programming languages to get ahead 

Knowing multiple programming languages is a big plus for anybody looking to go into IT. 

The core three building blocks for building websites and evolving web design would be: HTML, CSS and JavaScript. These are the most common languages that feature heavily for web development. HTML provides structure for a given website – ensuring how text, images and links appear. CSS focuses on the finer aspects of a website’s aesthetic, from fonts, colours and layout.  Essential server side languages used commonly by software developers are: Ruby, Python and PHP.  Python is particularly popular for machine learning, data mining and scientific computing. 

Learning a coding language will give you a leg up above the rest of the talent pool and be an ideal foundation to get you started finding a great position within the IT sector. 

Knowledge and skills in data analysis is highly desired by employers 

Being equipped and capable with Data Analysis is a huge bonus in the world right now – it’s a hot topic for all recruiters and employers within the Tech space. 

Having a skillset conducive to collecting, studying, and establishing structure to an expansive range of incoming data from various different sources and being able use them as relevant business insights is a huge bonus to employers. Making sense of statistical modelling, probabilities, knowing how to convert the data into understandable information and maintaining data systems are just some of the key responsibilities that could greatly influence your chances of finding a job in the sector. 

With 81% of companies now becoming reliant on data to understand customer behaviour, your developing skills in the industry will be highly valuable to help developing marketing strategies, preparing reports on key findings, targeted content creation, ad campaigns and product development. Collecting data is needed across all sectors but particularly in IT right now with the digital skills shortage here in the UK – the more you know, the more you can level up.

Being capable and informed about cyber security tactics 

With 68% of business owners stating an influx of new cyber security measures are needed in their business, it is now an ideal to start learning more about cyber and increase your long-term career prospects in IT. Growth is projected to rise in the cyber security industry by 37% between 2012-2022 and the number of Cyber Security companies grew by 21% in 2020 alone. 

The total industry revenue for last year stood at nearly 9 billion pounds overall. A large majority of cyber security professionals (65%) found  employment with large firms with a wealth of opportunities to grow professionally and gain experience working for highly-renowned organisations. It goes to show how learning highly desired IT skills can significantly boost your career. 

Key skills worth learning about include how to safeguard data, cyber threats, hazards, infrastructure as well as measures and mitigations to protect organisation systems. With 1 in 4 companies experiencing at least 1 security breach per week, your ability to implement solutions will be thoroughly appreciated. If you specifically want to turn your cyber security knowledge into a full-time career, you’ll be happy to hear that 96% of Cyber Security professionals were happy in their position and another 87% were satisfied with their earnings. 

So as you can see, there’s a varying number of skills, covering a hugely diverse mix of career opportunities. If you’re looking to further your knowledge, check out our range of learning pathways using the link below. You’re sure to find an outcome suitable for you!