We make assumptions. These can be limiting when we approach skill building, particularly as we look at our workforce.
When I was teaching digital literacy to grades K-8, I would catch myself at times because I would make the assumption that every child knew how to do certain things, such as opening a new Word document. I soon found out that just because I might hear about a 7th grader's tales of his gaming expertise, it didn't necessarily translate to "foundational skills."
There are skills that are specific to each industry, however foundational data skills are the core competencies that enable people to work with data, including mathematical, statistical, computational and communication skills.
As a nation, we are severely lacking in our foundational data skills for many reasons. We may be investing in infrastructure, but are neglecting the "people-side". Approximately 1/3 of our workforce lacks these foundational data skills. We need to bridge the gap and put people back at the center of our efforts by creating and utilizing digital skills training plans in the workplace.
