S.develop digital skills it will be a key factor in entering the labor market, in light of the objectives of the NRP, e there seems to be a better predisposition among girlsAnd. However, in the first years of practice in the company, a gap in technical skills is generated in favor of men. This was revealed by a study carried out by DigitAlly, a startup that aims to train and insert the most requested digital profiles, in a network of over 80 companies.
The survey, which revealed how young people represent an incredible opportunity for companies facing the next challenges of digital transformation, examined 1500 junior figures. 70% of girls achieved the highest scores, compared with 65% of boys. However, observing the technical skills most often acquired in the company, things change. In fact, if the results in the field of digital strategy are similar to the first work experiences, around the age of 30 among men they begin to be superior. A fact that makes us reflect on gender stereotypes, which often influence early career selection and growth processes.
It happens that young people are selected for their first experiences on the basis of gender stereotypes, which over time increase digital skills gap between boys and girls, impacting their careers. Thus, in the transition from school to business, there is a risk of underestimating and losing many talents.
“In this historic moment, it is crucial to train and find the human capital that the European recovery plan requires of us as quickly as possible – he comments. Francesca Devescovi, CEO of DigitAlly -. We have been working for years with dozens of large companies, to meet the growing need for digital profiles: young people need more awareness about the skills they can focus on. Our efforts have always been in this direction, but now we need a common front on the part of the entire Italian ecosystem of HR, training and recruiting ».
Research objectives and results
The goal of the study was measure the level of “digital mindset”, A set of essential skills in digital transition of the economy. Not only technical knowledge, but also soft skill, personal branding skills, knowledge of English, ability to solve problems and use them as growth opportunities.
Even without many years of experience and often with little focus on education digital skills, most of the respondents (68%) reached a profile Semi-pro, one step away from the highest step occupied by professionals. The “Semi-expert” type is woman, has a background in economy and communication, an age between 22-27 years and a high level of soft skill, in particular in the relational field and emotional intelligence. Only a little less than a third of the individuals involved correspond to the “Professional” profile. But in this case it is men who have scored the highest scores (32% vs 26% of girls).
Digital Skills: Gender and Background Issues
If the girls showed an average higher overall digital mindset, the boys have a higher level of digital skills on logical reasoning and “digital strategy“.
Among women, on the other hand, there are higher levels of relational skills, fluency in English and a constructive attitude towards challenges, criticisms and changes in the new digital society. The best scores belong to whoever has a background in communication (75%) and economics (73%), even in front of those who come from degrees Stem (65%). The lowest, on the other hand, refer to humanities and political-legal science degrees (63%).
“Missing” skills
If young people are very gifted in terms of soft skills, they are less gifted in digital strategy. In fact, these are aspects that are often acquired through practice. This is where training can have an impact, if tailored to the needs of companies.
Skills on the logical and mathematical reasoning, except for those with a Stem background. However, these improve with age (over 28), probably because you train in work contexts. Finally, the lowest scores are recorded at the personal branding level, especially among the very young, while they increase among the students who have completed university studies.
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