Further Education in the UK Needs a RebootHadi Moussa, Managing Director (EMEA) at Coursera, discusses how flexible learning models are essential to bridge the digital skills gap and prepare the UK to thrive in the digital economy.Successive governments have not supplied further education the resources and reform needed for the changing world of work. Vocational skills training is still too inaccessible, and divergent perspectives of academic and vocational education remain marked by expensive fees for a range of degrees, averaging £9,000 a year, regardless of market demand. Employers previously expressing concern about entry level hires deficient in numeracy and literacy, are today alarmed by the digital skills gap, in which staff lack skills for the fourth industrial revolution, characterised by technology and data.Last year, according to the UK government, over 80% of all jobs advertised in the UK now require digital skills, however employers say the lack of available talent is the biggest factor holding back growth. Estimates suggest the digital skills gap costs the UK economy as much as £63 billion a year in potential GDP.Likewise, the government’s 2021 Quantifying the Data Skills Gap Report noted just under half of UK companies are struggling to recruit for data roles over the previous two years, with a limited supply of graduates with specialist data skills from universities. Half of all workers surveyed reported they had not received data skills training within the last two years despite having an interest in digital training.COURSERA’S GLOBAL SKILLS REPORT 2023Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2023 also unearthed the skills gap the UK faces when preparing for the future of work. Analysing the career readiness of over 124 million learners worldwide, the report identifies leaders in business, technology and data science skills proficiency among 100 countries supported by Coursera. The study ranked the UK 64th globally in skills development, behind the Dominican Republic and Bolivia, down from 38th place in 2022.Notable deficiencies in the UK’s skills include Technology skills, with UK learners performing badly relative to their global peers in S oftware Engineering (23%), Mobile Development (26%), Security Engineering (33%), and Computer Programming (41%). The UK was also found to be deficient in Data Science , with UK performance lagging behind in key data science skills including Statistical Programming , Data Management , and Data Analysis .TECHNOLOGY SKILLS IN EUROPE COMPARED TO THE UKLeading countries in the Coursera Skills Report were Switzerland, Spain and Germany, with Europe ranking second globally for technology and data science. The report found European learners are more likely to invest in data science skills, including artificial neural networks and deep learning, supporting the emerging AI market.By contrast, UK learners were more likely to take courses teaching entrepreneurship, scoring well in human resources and marketing. Learners scored competitively in technology skills such as web development, yet it was found UK leaders could further invest in software engineering.This disparity has been reflected in the relative performance of the UK and European economies. The British economy grew just 0.1 percent in the first three months of this year; the little growth there was, was partly driven by the information and communications services industries, which includes computer programming and consultancy. By contrast, Germany’s economy grew by 6% during the same period and the Eurozone as a whole outperformed the UK.A misfiring education system in the UK is partly to blame, characterised by a lack of access to affordable, relevant tuition. Just this month, an all party parliamentary group unveiled research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off classmates is just as large...