Five Digital skills that can make students instantly employable

Digital skills are employability skills

Digital skills can be defined as the ability to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information.

In recent years, a growing number of businesses and companies have ditched traditional procedures for digitized operations and processes. Artificial intelligence is already widely used in businesses to streamline their workflow.  Despite some academic curriculum expanding to take into account the growing demand for digital skills, students could on their own, through the combination of informal learning with formal learning, enhance their digital literacy. Here, we explore five essential Digital Skills that can make students instantly employable.

Content Creation & Marketing:

Content is key to creating brand awareness and establishing a brand. It comes in several forms, such as videos, social media updates, blog posts, etc. Therefore students need to understand and fully grasp the context of the business which they are marketing and create relevant and strategic content that will drive the message/objective home to the consumer.

Social Media Expertise:

With the rapidly increasing number of social media users, social media has become the primary source of communication and information flow between businesses and consumers and many businesses are employing the use of social media for digital marketing. Social media platforms vary for marketing purposes: different medium serves different purposes depending on the marketing objectives, target market, product, service, etc. Therefore students need to be well versed in understanding and utilizing social media in order to effectively drive customers to the business.

Search Engine Marketing:

According to statistics, over 6.5 billion SEM results are carried out each day, therefore; businesses understand that tapping into this discipline by optimizing their websites, etc. will drive traffic and ensure high conversion rates. It is therefore important for students to have a thorough understanding of SEM.

Data Analytics:

Data Analysis entails analysing computerized data and transforming this into information that can be used to maximise campaigns and improve the business. Data analytics allows students to make educated and data-driven decisions, which is what companies are looking for in order to optimize their return on investment.

Email Savvy:

Emails are a conventional but effective direct marketing method for the obtainment and retention of leads. Businesses understand the power of email to engage with their users, which is why understanding the art form of email marketing, from the first welcome email to email campaigns, is a valuable asset.

Statistics show that 8 in 10 formal jobs require substantial digital expertise. It is therefore important that academic curriculum takes into account the learning of these skills, and it is also in the interest of students to build and strengthen their digital literacy in order to improve their chances of getting hired.