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New technologies are only as effective as the staff trained to use them.只有培訓员工使用新技术，新技术才能发挥作用。
In the 1990s， buying a personal computer was a serious consideration. The device itself was expensive， and buyers could spend hours poring over1 specs to identify the maximum storage and processing power available within a budget. Today， the power of the cloud means that the hard drive capacity of a laptop， or the storage available with a smartphone， is far less of a deal-breaker2.
Instead， cloud-based services provided by Spotify3， Netflix and Apple allow us to access a library of music， films or photos on any device， at any time. Our personal documents are increasingly stored “in the cloud” too， through services such as Google Docs， Microsoft Office 365， and Dropbox.
The same applies to businesses. There has been a significant democratisation of workplace technology. Supporting email or the company’s operating systems used to mean buying expensive servers and locking them in an overheating cupboard. Now every organisation has access to software， storage and even raw computing power itself on-demand through the cloud， and only needs to pay for the IT horsepower it uses.
This “democratisation of digital” has never been more important. While many organisations have suffered enormously as a result of Covid-19， there have also been great examples of smaller businesses using digital services to adapt quickly and thrive.
But here the great levelling power of digital starts to falter. The ability to instigate4 a social selling strategy on Facebook might come naturally to many， but for business owners that have long operated a model based on footfall5 or word of mouth it is not so easy. It might not be high-end programming， but effective social media advertising is still a digital skill. Equally， on-demand， pay-as-you-go cloud services might be more accessible financially， but the ability to maximise value from them is not so straightforward. Using the cloud to capture and store data， building analytics tools to scrutinise6 it， and integrating advanced features into a website requires skillsets that are still rare and often expensive.
The competitive advantage previously reserved for organisations with the wallets to invest in the hardware of servers and data centres is increasingly the privilege of those that have access to the best digital talent. But the ongoing digital skills scarcity in the UK means that attracting and retaining digital talent is a significant challenge for all. The reality is organisations are now seeing the consequences of the shortage. Stories of a cyberattack are now a weekly occurrence; it is hard to think of a more visible warning of what can happen to those that fall behind. Achieving the skills transformation
Organisations should start by looking inwards. Reskilling7 and upskilling8 existing employees is the best place to begin. QA has recently completed a programme of intensive， digital boot camps where both employees and new hires were trained from scratch in skills such as software development， cloud technologies and cyber security. This allowed individuals previously in branch management to move to a new digital career. The key is to recruit for these programmes based on potential， underlying aptitude and attitude， rather than formal qualifications， pre-existing knowledge or experience.
QA has just completed a pilot boot camp programme in Greater Manchester， taking people from the fringes of the labour market and providing them with the training and support needed for a long-term digital career. By working closely with local employers， these government-funded programmes do a brilliant job of providing talent for local organisations that may otherwise not have access to the digital talent they need.
Building a long-term talent pipeline
Alongside intensive reskilling and upskilling activities， the strategy should also include longer-term talent programmes. Misunderstood， even unfashionable for many years， apprenticeship programmes are now vital for any organisation serious about closing its digital skills gap. The modern apprenticeship is also more flexible， for both individuals and employers. Apprenticeships can start in any month of the year and more off-the-job training can now be completed digitally for most tech disciplines. The programmes deliver a continuous flow of the latest digital skills into the workplace.
It’s not only young people at the start of their careers choosing apprenticeships; they’re a popular way for more ex-perienced employees to retrain into new roles too. The structure and qualification an apprenticeship programme provides makes it ideal for someone looking to pivot9 their career without breaking from work. Degree apprenticeships at undergraduate or master’s level are rightly increasingly popular as a development route for high-potential staff.
A race every organisation can win
The skills gap will not be solved if business leaders revert to thinking this is just a hiring game. Augmenting existing teams with tech talent is important， and absolutely has its place， but if organisations focus all of their efforts on competing for experienced individuals， this is a race that SMEs will lose. This approach purely favours those already in the game and with the deepest pockets. Investing in people， and building sustainable， long-term talent pipelines， means every organisation will emerge stronger from the global pandemic， and thrive in the technological world that follows.
在20世纪90年代，购买个人电脑需要深思熟虑。电脑价格本就昂贵，人们会花费数小时去仔细研究它们的规格，在预算范围内找出内存最大和处理能力最强的那台。如今，云处理的能力意味着，笔记本的硬盘容量和智能手机的储存空间都不再是妨礙交易的决定性因素。
相反，声田、奈飞和苹果提供的基于云的服务，让我们可以随时在任何设备上访问音乐库、电影库或者照片库。通过谷歌文档、微软办公365 和多宝盒等服务，我们越来越多的个人文档也存储在了“云中”。
这对于企业也一样，办公技术已经实现了意义重大的大众化。在过去，支持电子邮箱或公司自己的操作系统意味着要购买昂贵的服务器，还要把它锁在一个过热的柜子里。现在，每个企业都可以通过云按需购买软件、储存空间，甚至原始计算能力，只需要支付所使用的部分。
这种“数字的大众化”从未如此重要。虽然许多企业因为新冠病毒受到了巨大的冲击，但也有规模较小的企业利用数字服务快速适应、蓬勃发展的杰出案例。
然而，在这个方面数字技术的强大拉平力量开始动摇。对许多企业来说，在脸书上发起社交营销是自然而然的，但对于那些长期基于客流或口碑运营的企业来说，这并不容易。社交营销可能算不上什么高端策略，但在社交媒体上投放有效的广告仍然是一项数字技能。同样，可按需购买、即付即用的云服务也许可以减轻企业的财务压力，但发挥云服务的最大价值并不简单。使用云来获取和储存数据、搭建分析工具来监测数据、把高级功能整合到一个网站，这些都需要一系列的技能，而这些技能现在还很稀缺，因此往往也很昂贵。
以前有财力投资服务器和数据中心这类硬件系统的企业才有竞争优势，而现在这个优势越来越属于拥有顶级数字人才的企业。但是，在英国，数字技术人才匮乏的问题仍然存在，这说明吸引和留住数字人才对所有人来说都是一个重大挑战。现在企业确实看到了技术短缺的后果。网络攻击每周都会发生;没有比这更明显的警告，提醒那些落后的企业将会遭遇什么。
实现技能转变
企业应该从内部开始转变。对现有员工进行再培训、教授其新技能是最好的开始。QA公司最近完成了一项高强度的数字训练营计划，在职和新入职员工都从零开始学习软件开发、云技术和网络安全等技能。这使得以前从事部门管理的员工能够转而从事新的数字职业。其关键是征召学员要依据其潜能、天赋和态度，而不是正式文凭、已有知识或经验。
QA公司刚在大曼彻斯特郡完成一项新人训练营试点计划，招募在劳动力市场边缘的人，为他们提供从事长期数字职业所需的培训和支持。这些政府资助的项目与当地企业密切合作，在为当地企业提供人才方面取得出色的成果，否则这些企业可能无法获得他们所需要的数字人才。
建立长期的人才渠道
除了高强度的新技能培训外，该战略还应包括长期的人才计划。曾经，学徒制被人误解，甚至多年不流行。现在，对于任何想弥合数据技术差距的企业来说，学徒制计划至关重要。对于个人和企业来说，现代的学徒制更为灵活。学徒期可以在一年中的任何一个月开始。现在大多数技术门类的脱产培训越来越多地可以在线上完成。这些培训源源不断地将最新的数字技术传送到职场。
学徒制不仅是年轻人在职业生涯开始时的选择;对于更有经验的员工来说，学徒制也很受欢迎，是一种切换到新角色的再培训方式。学徒制的培训方式和完成后可获得的资质，使其成为那些想改变职业生涯但又不想中断工作的人的理想之选。对于潜力大的员工来说，本科或者研究生级别的学位学徒制，作为发展路径，自然越来越受欢迎。
一场所有企业共赢的比赛
如果商业领袖们依旧认为这只是一场招聘赛，那么技术鸿沟问题将不会被解决。通过招纳技术人才来提高已有团队的能力固然重要，但如果企业全力争抢有经验的人才，中小企业将输掉这场比赛。这种方式仅对那些已经参与竞赛并且财力最为雄厚的企业有利。
投资人才，建立长期、可持续的人才管道，这样所有企业都能在全球疫情下变得更加强大，并且在将来的技术世界里茁壮成长。
（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）
In the 1990s， buying a personal computer was a serious consideration. The device itself was expensive， and buyers could spend hours poring over1 specs to identify the maximum storage and processing power available within a budget. Today， the power of the cloud means that the hard drive capacity of a laptop， or the storage available with a smartphone， is far less of a deal-breaker2.
Instead， cloud-based services provided by Spotify3， Netflix and Apple allow us to access a library of music， films or photos on any device， at any time. Our personal documents are increasingly stored “in the cloud” too， through services such as Google Docs， Microsoft Office 365， and Dropbox.
The same applies to businesses. There has been a significant democratisation of workplace technology. Supporting email or the company’s operating systems used to mean buying expensive servers and locking them in an overheating cupboard. Now every organisation has access to software， storage and even raw computing power itself on-demand through the cloud， and only needs to pay for the IT horsepower it uses.
This “democratisation of digital” has never been more important. While many organisations have suffered enormously as a result of Covid-19， there have also been great examples of smaller businesses using digital services to adapt quickly and thrive.
But here the great levelling power of digital starts to falter. The ability to instigate4 a social selling strategy on Facebook might come naturally to many， but for business owners that have long operated a model based on footfall5 or word of mouth it is not so easy. It might not be high-end programming， but effective social media advertising is still a digital skill. Equally， on-demand， pay-as-you-go cloud services might be more accessible financially， but the ability to maximise value from them is not so straightforward. Using the cloud to capture and store data， building analytics tools to scrutinise6 it， and integrating advanced features into a website requires skillsets that are still rare and often expensive.
The competitive advantage previously reserved for organisations with the wallets to invest in the hardware of servers and data centres is increasingly the privilege of those that have access to the best digital talent. But the ongoing digital skills scarcity in the UK means that attracting and retaining digital talent is a significant challenge for all. The reality is organisations are now seeing the consequences of the shortage. Stories of a cyberattack are now a weekly occurrence; it is hard to think of a more visible warning of what can happen to those that fall behind. Achieving the skills transformation
Organisations should start by looking inwards. Reskilling7 and upskilling8 existing employees is the best place to begin. QA has recently completed a programme of intensive， digital boot camps where both employees and new hires were trained from scratch in skills such as software development， cloud technologies and cyber security. This allowed individuals previously in branch management to move to a new digital career. The key is to recruit for these programmes based on potential， underlying aptitude and attitude， rather than formal qualifications， pre-existing knowledge or experience.
QA has just completed a pilot boot camp programme in Greater Manchester， taking people from the fringes of the labour market and providing them with the training and support needed for a long-term digital career. By working closely with local employers， these government-funded programmes do a brilliant job of providing talent for local organisations that may otherwise not have access to the digital talent they need.
Building a long-term talent pipeline
Alongside intensive reskilling and upskilling activities， the strategy should also include longer-term talent programmes. Misunderstood， even unfashionable for many years， apprenticeship programmes are now vital for any organisation serious about closing its digital skills gap. The modern apprenticeship is also more flexible， for both individuals and employers. Apprenticeships can start in any month of the year and more off-the-job training can now be completed digitally for most tech disciplines. The programmes deliver a continuous flow of the latest digital skills into the workplace.
It’s not only young people at the start of their careers choosing apprenticeships; they’re a popular way for more ex-perienced employees to retrain into new roles too. The structure and qualification an apprenticeship programme provides makes it ideal for someone looking to pivot9 their career without breaking from work. Degree apprenticeships at undergraduate or master’s level are rightly increasingly popular as a development route for high-potential staff.
A race every organisation can win
The skills gap will not be solved if business leaders revert to thinking this is just a hiring game. Augmenting existing teams with tech talent is important， and absolutely has its place， but if organisations focus all of their efforts on competing for experienced individuals， this is a race that SMEs will lose. This approach purely favours those already in the game and with the deepest pockets. Investing in people， and building sustainable， long-term talent pipelines， means every organisation will emerge stronger from the global pandemic， and thrive in the technological world that follows.
在20世纪90年代，购买个人电脑需要深思熟虑。电脑价格本就昂贵，人们会花费数小时去仔细研究它们的规格，在预算范围内找出内存最大和处理能力最强的那台。如今，云处理的能力意味着，笔记本的硬盘容量和智能手机的储存空间都不再是妨礙交易的决定性因素。
相反，声田、奈飞和苹果提供的基于云的服务，让我们可以随时在任何设备上访问音乐库、电影库或者照片库。通过谷歌文档、微软办公365 和多宝盒等服务，我们越来越多的个人文档也存储在了“云中”。
这对于企业也一样，办公技术已经实现了意义重大的大众化。在过去，支持电子邮箱或公司自己的操作系统意味着要购买昂贵的服务器，还要把它锁在一个过热的柜子里。现在，每个企业都可以通过云按需购买软件、储存空间，甚至原始计算能力，只需要支付所使用的部分。
这种“数字的大众化”从未如此重要。虽然许多企业因为新冠病毒受到了巨大的冲击，但也有规模较小的企业利用数字服务快速适应、蓬勃发展的杰出案例。
然而，在这个方面数字技术的强大拉平力量开始动摇。对许多企业来说，在脸书上发起社交营销是自然而然的，但对于那些长期基于客流或口碑运营的企业来说，这并不容易。社交营销可能算不上什么高端策略，但在社交媒体上投放有效的广告仍然是一项数字技能。同样，可按需购买、即付即用的云服务也许可以减轻企业的财务压力，但发挥云服务的最大价值并不简单。使用云来获取和储存数据、搭建分析工具来监测数据、把高级功能整合到一个网站，这些都需要一系列的技能，而这些技能现在还很稀缺，因此往往也很昂贵。
以前有财力投资服务器和数据中心这类硬件系统的企业才有竞争优势，而现在这个优势越来越属于拥有顶级数字人才的企业。但是，在英国，数字技术人才匮乏的问题仍然存在，这说明吸引和留住数字人才对所有人来说都是一个重大挑战。现在企业确实看到了技术短缺的后果。网络攻击每周都会发生;没有比这更明显的警告，提醒那些落后的企业将会遭遇什么。
实现技能转变
企业应该从内部开始转变。对现有员工进行再培训、教授其新技能是最好的开始。QA公司最近完成了一项高强度的数字训练营计划，在职和新入职员工都从零开始学习软件开发、云技术和网络安全等技能。这使得以前从事部门管理的员工能够转而从事新的数字职业。其关键是征召学员要依据其潜能、天赋和态度，而不是正式文凭、已有知识或经验。
QA公司刚在大曼彻斯特郡完成一项新人训练营试点计划，招募在劳动力市场边缘的人，为他们提供从事长期数字职业所需的培训和支持。这些政府资助的项目与当地企业密切合作，在为当地企业提供人才方面取得出色的成果，否则这些企业可能无法获得他们所需要的数字人才。
建立长期的人才渠道
除了高强度的新技能培训外，该战略还应包括长期的人才计划。曾经，学徒制被人误解，甚至多年不流行。现在，对于任何想弥合数据技术差距的企业来说，学徒制计划至关重要。对于个人和企业来说，现代的学徒制更为灵活。学徒期可以在一年中的任何一个月开始。现在大多数技术门类的脱产培训越来越多地可以在线上完成。这些培训源源不断地将最新的数字技术传送到职场。
学徒制不仅是年轻人在职业生涯开始时的选择;对于更有经验的员工来说，学徒制也很受欢迎，是一种切换到新角色的再培训方式。学徒制的培训方式和完成后可获得的资质，使其成为那些想改变职业生涯但又不想中断工作的人的理想之选。对于潜力大的员工来说，本科或者研究生级别的学位学徒制，作为发展路径，自然越来越受欢迎。
一场所有企业共赢的比赛
如果商业领袖们依旧认为这只是一场招聘赛，那么技术鸿沟问题将不会被解决。通过招纳技术人才来提高已有团队的能力固然重要，但如果企业全力争抢有经验的人才，中小企业将输掉这场比赛。这种方式仅对那些已经参与竞赛并且财力最为雄厚的企业有利。
投资人才，建立长期、可持续的人才管道，这样所有企业都能在全球疫情下变得更加强大，并且在将来的技术世界里茁壮成长。
（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）