18 Oct 2021
Overview
  • Digital Skills are super in-demand across virtually every industry or career path you can think of!
  • They range from fundamental skills all the way up to people who basically use digital skills for a living
  • If you're keen to learn more you can check out our new Academy DigiSkills that we've created in collaboration with the Digital Skills Organisation

What if we told you that almost 9 in 10 job listings here in Australia ask for one specific skill set - and that learning the ropes in that area could put you head and shoulders above the competition? You might be surprised to learn that the skill set is something called digital knowledge.

But what does that actually mean? A super simple way of looking at it is that digital knowledge is about having the skills and knowledge to live, learn and work using digital technologies.

At the more fundamental side of things you’ve got digital literacy. Most jobs these days use tools like email, computers, smartphones, as well as internet platforms and software. For example if you’re working in hospitality, you might need to log in to an online portal to update your availability. If you’re applying for jobs, you’ll need digital literacy to find job listings online, write up a resumé or a cover letter using a word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word) and send it off using email. 

The next step up from here is digital fluency. This is where you’re looking to develop your skills a little bit more. You could think about it like a carpenter building a table - a good carpenter will know what tools they have to use, and how to use them to get the job done.

What would that expertise look like for digital tasks? Maybe you need to put together a sales pitch for a client. You could have skills in analysing and presenting data using something like Excel, so you make a graph. Then you’d copy it over into a digital presentation, and give it that slick TED-talk style to keep everyone engaged. The ability to work across platforms, and be able to approach new challenges with your background and skills is what sets fluency apart from literacy.

Beyond that you’ve got your digital professionals - these are the people who live and breathe digital skills. Often, they can be in charge of changing how the rest of us use our digital hardware and software. You’re looking at some pretty serious experience or qualifications to get going in this area.

Just by going over these different digital skills pathways, you can see that in many ways digital skills are life skills. Just like we take for granted that we learn how to add and subtract, or learn how to read and write, being digitally literate and fluent will be a given. That’s why it’s super important to make sure your digital skills are ready for the big wide career world out there!

 If you wanna learn more about what digital skills can offer you, keep your eyes peeled for our brand-new Academy DigiSkills, coming soon! If you’re already pumped up and ready to go, skillfinder.com.au can help you find a free course to get you started on your digital skills journey!