More than half of the UK’s top earners in the digital sector have not attended university, according to new research, and universities are stepping up to help combat the issue.
The study, by digital recruitment specialists, The Candidate, revealed that only 49 per cent of top digital professionals now earning between £88,000 per annum and £130,000 per annum studied at university level. Furthermore, of those employed at top levels in the digital sector that did attend university, the research found only 30 per cent went to a Russell Group university.
This can largely be put down to the lack of digital courses available at this time. In fact, according to the research, of those that attended higher education, the majority (73 per cent) completed literary courses such as English Language. This suggests that it was at a later date that they took the digital route.
The issue has not gone unnoticed by the government or the higher education system, though. The launch of Digital Business Academy by University College London (UCL) and Tech City UK last year shows that time and money is being invested in the digital sector.
Brian Matthews, managing partner at The Candidate, said: “Although it might be shocking that those earning such high salaries didn’t attend university, it is actually quite common in the digital sector.
“Because digital is still relatively new, it has taken time for the education system to implement courses that will really benefit students and mould them into skilled professionals. This is why many senior members of staff working in digital are without the specialist backgrounds.
“The courses being introduced by the Digital Business Academy at universities such as Cambridge University, not only show the education system stepping up for the digital industry, but shows them realising that Russell Group organisations need to cater for this sector alongside ex-polytechnic universities.
“At The Candidate we now work closely with a number of universities to help students get their first role in digital, so we can see that the higher education system is really getting to grips with supplying this rapidly-growing industry with talented candidates. Salford University’s JEMSS (Joint European Masters in Social and Digital Marketing) scheme and Manchester Met University’s Agency Life programme are just some examples of universities really making changes to the way they approach the industry.
“Though these are promising steps, the real benefits won’t be seen until these students have completed higher education and get a job. Therefore, work still needs to be done to help close the digital skills gap that is preventing the rapid growth in digital that the UK should be experiencing.”
For more information, please visit www.thecandidate.co.uk