Webinar addresses digital skill gaps

In the past two years, digital transformation has accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and altered the skill sets that are required by the working staff. Having equipped companies with competencies and industry-validated certifications for 17 years in more than 10 countries in Asia, Co-founder and Executive Director of iTrain Group Dato’ Eric Ku believes that digital skills are more imperative now than ever before. 

Digital transformation is less about technology but more about people. With this highlight, Dato’ Eric Ku shared iTrain’s short and long-term approach to addressing digital-literacy gaps in a webinar. 

The webinar, titled Bridging Digital Skill Gaps - Digital transformation is less about technology but more about people, was organised by UTAR Centre for Corporate and Community Development (CCCD) in collaboration with Unovate Centre and iTrain Asia. It was conducted via Zoom and Facebook Live on 6 April 2022. The webinar was moderated by Ts Dr Lee Jer Vui from Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Department of Mechatronics and BioMedical Engineering.

In his talk, Dato’ Eric Ku explained digitalisation and digital transformation, and talked about the key drivers that push businesses to undergo digital transformation— technology innovation and customer behaviour. He also provided examples of digital transformation, such as the need for Domino to design a DOM pizza checker to ensure the quality of every pizza. This smart scanner is not only able to identify the type of pizza according to the customers’ order, but also topping distribution and correct toppings. 

He also shared the research conducted by Microsoft UK and Workfront, where the finding revealed the percentages of business owners who believe their current business models will cease to exist in five years, versus those who believe they will survive digital disruption. “41% of business leaders think their business will cease to exist if they don’t transform; only 8% of business leaders think they will survive based on the current digital platforms they have,” he said. He mentioned that companies not only need to digitise to stay competitive but also need to get people ready for the transformation. 

He further shared the challenges to meet digital priorities and shared the insight report of the World Economic Forum which stated that 65 per cent of children entering primary school would ultimately end up working in completely new jobs that are yet to exist. “What are the things you need to teach your kids now? This is something that we need to think about,” he advised. 

He also briefly introduced iTrain Asia. Established in 2005, iTrain Asia is Asia’s top digital skills certification body and digital technology training content provider. In the webinar, Dato’ Eric Ku also shared collaborative activities and development as well as the short and long-term strategies of the company. 

Click here to view the webinar.