New approach to digital literacy called for in public sector

The public sector must evolve in its approach to digital skills and competencies, with current models of upskilling and reskilling struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change.

That’s according to Andrew Mugoya, co-founder and director at learning and skills provider, LEAP, who points out that more than 80 percent of Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are under-performing (red or amber). This translates to approximately £44 billion annually, or two percent of GDP. Of the 235 projects in 2022-2023, 31 were in ICT.

So why are government organisations struggling with their digital transformation programmes, and the upskilling or reskilling of staff? The reasons are varied and multifaceted, explained Mugoya (pictured).

There is an inability to compete with private sector in attracting top talent (for example, in fields like AI and data science), alongside the high costs of bringing in consultants to plug required skills gaps, he said.

“Organisations view digital transformation as being mainly about systems and processes,” he said. “Approximately 75 percent of organisations revert to their pre-transformation performance levels because of the absence of enduring skills and capabilities to maintain and capitalise on early achievements.”

Mugoya believes that investing in a strong skills and capabilities foundation – before, during and after digital transformation programmes – helps to avoid this “round trip to zero.”

Empowering civil servants

LEAP’s approach isn’t about everyone becoming a data scientist or a UX designer. Rather it’s about empowering more digitally proficient civil servants in key ways. It said these include:

• Digital literacy for all: Civil servants should have an understanding of the potential of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics, while ensuring their knowledge stays up to date.
• Awareness of capabilities: They should also understand what these digital disciplines can achieve, including concepts like prototyping, Human Centred Design (HCD), and the importance of ‘failing fast and better.’
• Confidence to call on experts: Much like knowing when to seek advanced help, civil servants should be confident in identifying when and which experts to call upon.
• Timely engagement: Crucially, they should know to engage these experts early in the process to avoid systemic roadblocks and ensure smoother transitions.

Multi-disciplinary teams to the fore
With this new methodology in mind, LEAP said it offers a different approach to levelling up skills across the board. It places multi-disciplinary teams at the forefront of delivery, ensuring that digital transformation is not just about digital skills but about integrating those skills within the broader context of public service delivery.

“LEAP is a suite of products and services designed to make digital upskilling and reskilling in organisations more collaborative, practical and effective,” explained Mugoya.

“Current models of upskilling and reskilling include instructor-based learning, self-directed learning or unstructured on-the-job learning. LEAP adopts a blended approach that combines the benefits of these approaches while minimising the drawbacks. LEAP aims to embed digital transformation within organisations by enabling a collaborative, practise-based and continuous approach to the development of digital skills.

“With LEAP, organisations can be self-sufficient and self-sustaining in keeping digital literacy a consistent and ongoing activity with less dependency on external consultants.”

Mugoya stressed that LEAP does not aim to be a one-size-fits-all solution, and it complements and integrates with other solutions to enable departments and organisations to adopt an approach that meets their specific requirements.

Ultimately, said Mugoya, there is a need to embed digital literacy skills into the workforce. To illustrate the point, he said the ability to type extended beyond the typing pool to become a basic requirement with the advent of PCs.

For the same to happen with digital skills, the public sector must embrace a multi-disciplinary operating model to accelerate progress and deliver at scale.

“The success of the Civil Service’s digital transformation hinges on a holistic approach that integrates digital skills across all professions. This ensures that digital literacy is embedded within all roles, just as basic typing skills are today.”