Bridging digital skills gap: perspectives from higher education and employers in business and health sectors

Kingdom, OJ, Ofori, DW and Adebiyi, SO ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0546-0060, 2026. Bridging digital skills gap: perspectives from higher education and employers in business and health sectors. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 39 (1), pp. 77-88. ISSN 2456-981X

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Abstract

This study investigates the alignment between digital skills taught in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and those demanded by employers in the business management and health and social care sectors in the United Kingdom. Drawing on a qualitative research approach using primary data, the research explores how recent graduates and industry professionals perceive digital competencies and identifies strategies for more effective integrating of these skills into university curricula. A total of 51 graduates and 7 employers participated in the study, contributing insights through surveys distributed via email, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams. The findings reveal a persistent gap between graduates' digital literacy and employers' expectations, particularly in data analysis, specialised software use, and digital communication. While basic proficiency in tools like Microsoft Office is common, both groups emphasised the need for more advanced, practice-oriented digital training. Employers highlighted adaptability and digital fluency as critical yet underdeveloped attributes among recruits. The study concludes that bridging this gap requires a collaborative effort between HEIs and industry, involving curriculum reform, simulation-based learning, and certification in emerging technologies. These findings contribute to ongoing debates about graduate employability and digital readiness, offering practical recommendations for educational policy and curriculum development.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science
Creators:	Kingdom, O.J., Ofori, D.W. and Adebiyi, S.O.
Publisher:	Sciencedomain International
Date:	6 February 2026
Volume:	39
Number:	1
ISSN:	2456-981X
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.9734/jesbs/2026/v39i11459 DOI 2575098 Other
Rights:	This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	16 Feb 2026 15:33
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2026 15:33
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55287

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