‘Digital skills gap’ emerging in UK SMEs in run up to Brexit: FSB
A "black hole" in technical skills is threatening the economy as the UK heads for Brexit, the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned. Mike Cherry, FSB national chairman, was commenting on FSB research which claims more than one in four business owners in England are not confident in basic digital skills. The research also finds that over one in five small firms believes it is being held back online by staff with weak digital literacy.

The Federation of Small Businesses has warned that UK productivity growth will continue to stall unless action is taken to tackle the digital skills deficit in small businesses.

FSB research has found that over a quarter of business owners in England lack confidence in their basic digital skills and more than a fifth believe a lack of basic digital skills among their staff is holding them back from increasing their digital and online presence.

The business group says small firms will be left behind unless the National Retraining Scheme, announced in the Budget to boost digital capability, is designed with them in mind. However, 25 per cent of small firms do not consider digital skills to be important to the growth of their business. The FSB says that demonstrating the benefits of digital to these firms will be critical.

Mike Cherry, FSB national chairman, said: “Firms risk being left behind unless they have the skills to take advantage of technology to remain competitive and responsive to their customers. We need to highlight the benefits of going digital and then make sure that small businesses and their staff can access basic digital skills training that meet their needs. If we can harness the digital potential of small firms, we stand a real chance of creating more world-beating businesses and boosting growth.”

The digital skills gap is part of a wider skills challenge hitting small firms. The research finds that 30% of small businesses in England have struggled to find workers to fill roles because of acute skills shortages in the past year.

“Productivity is being hampered by nagging skills shortages which are making recruitment a nightmare for small firms,” said Mike Cherry. “As the UK moves towards Brexit, a technical skills black hole threatens the economy. Small firms tell us that technical skills are crucial to the future growth of their businesses. The clock is ticking to tackle the ever-widening skills gap.”

The findings of the research also show that nearly half of all SMEs don’t have a formal training plan or budget. Small firms say the main barriers to training are the fact that their employees are too busy, training is too expensive or the type of training needed is not available locally.

Cherry added: “Small firms clearly recognise the value of providing training for themselves and their staff, but it can be a struggle to find the time and money, and in some cases even to find the right training locally. All Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) should ensure that there is relevant, accessible training available to meet the needs of small businesses and the self-employed.”