National Skills Coalition (NSC), in partnership with the Cognizant U.S. Foundation, today released a new report, Boosting Digital Literacy in the Workplace. Over the past four months, NSC staff interviewed business, education and workforce leaders across the United States to understand how businesses are working to upskill workers and what policymakers can do to help.

“There’s a big difference between foundational digital literacy—which is a baseline skill set that workers need to have regardless of industry—and occupational digital literacy, which is about specific technology-related skills that are needed for a particular job or industry,” said Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Senior Fellow at NSC and author of the report. “The challenge is how do we determine the kinds of occupational digital literacy skills that workers need to get back into the labor market or to keep their jobs and grow in their careers? And how can public policy help in that process?” 

To answer those questions, NSC interviewed more than 25 business leaders, workforce and education practitioners, and public officials from 12 states—they found that while some companies focus on hiring workers with specific digital credentials, a larger number are more focused on hiring workers who are comfortable with a broad range of digital technologies.

The research documents a consensus among business leaders who overwhelmingly agree that policymakers should invest in industry partnerships, expand Pell Grants for quality short-term training programs, invest in high-quality technical assistance to help education providers design digital skills training programs, and increase investments in broadband internet and device access.

“Policymakers play an important role in ensuring working adults have the opportunity to build the digital literacy necessary to succeed in the workforce,” said Kristen Titus, Executive Director of the Cognizant U.S. Foundation.

“We are proud to support this research that illustrates the need for a more collaborative and creative approach to remove barriers to career mobility and pave the way for a more inclusive economic recovery.”

Read more about the research findings and download a full copy of the brief.