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Think about a typical day for you as an educator; consider what digital skills you have used over its course. Count them up, and consider the level of digital competence you needed to possess to complete those tasks. Now think about the impact of this level of competence on your ability to do your job.
In today’s world, we simply can’t survive without digital skills. Even outside of the school walls, as an adult, it is hard to imagine making it through any day without needing them – whether it relates to email etiquette, online safety, or digital banking. Technology has transformed how we interact, and it continues to do so.
Now imagine the 11–14-year-olds that you teach on a daily basis.
Today’s teenagers have grown up surrounded by technology; it is integral to how they live their lives, but do those you teach possess the key digital skills they need to thrive in a future tech-driven world of work?
We know digital skills are essential for a confident future, yet NCFE’s recent ‘No-one Left Offline’ report found that 50% of under-19s did not have the basic digital skills needed for modern life, compared to just 25% of those aged over 60.
If this doesn’t surprise you, but you are unsure of how best to help those students sitting in front of you – our future innovators, creators and leaders, VR developers, cyber-security designers, software developers or data analysts – then look no further than BT Group’s Work Ready programme.
What is Work Ready?
BT Group’s Work Ready programme and events aim to inspire young people and help them develop skills for a digital world through free interactive content and engaging in-person and virtual boot camps and events. All are fully facilitated by members of an expert team, and can reduce the gap between teenagers’ current skills and the level of digital know-how that future employers will require of them in the tech-driven world of work.
Crucially, Work Ready events and curriculum content sets out to demystify the digital skills 11–14-year-olds will need in a world-of-work context, across an ever-evolving range of industries, giving them the confidence and skills for a tech-driven future – skills they had no idea were essential!
Since Work Ready launched in February 2025, over 3,000 students in more than 200 schools have already engaged in events that help break down the barriers to gaining the essential digital skills needed for a successful career.
So why choose Work Ready?
As a teenager, wouldn’t you be inspired about the future if given the chance to meet and interact with digital and tech experts in sectors such as AI and cybersecurity?
Yet many educators may be more hesitant, thinking that while increased motivation and aspiration for the future, and higher confidence in digital skills are of the utmost importance for success in the workplace, they may place further pressure on the already stretched communication and interpersonal skills we see in those students we teach each day – students who struggle with connection skills outside of the online world.
BT Group is committed to recognising that while practical and technical skills are vital in the workplace, they are intrinsically woven with a secure application of human-centric skills, critical to all teenage development. Work Ready has been created on the foundational belief that future employees need well-rounded individuals, those who are capable of connection, bringing together the power of people and technology for the greatest success, and this is reflected throughout the content and delivery of the Work Ready programme.
With project-based modules, co-created with teachers, Work Ready offers students the opportunity to bolster their digital skills through innovative and practical activities across a range of areas.
Teenagers are exposed to a range of real-life workplace experiences and scenarios that encourage them to develop essential human-centric skills, drawing on their creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability to make connections through work and play as they learn about AI, cybersecurity, ethical technology, healthcare technology, and the internet of things. They also have the opportunity to put their learning into practice with the Work Ready design challenge.
Here to help
In recent years, many government reports have indicated that teaching digital skills in schools is vital to secure the future development of our country and our students. However, writing this, I can hear many voices in my ear telling me that with an already packed curriculum, finding time to do so is a challenge. But Work Ready is here to help.
It’s a ready-made package featuring high-quality resources alongside in-person and virtual workshops and boot camps delivered by experts in their field. Students can boost their digital knowledge while simultaneously developing their human-centric skills.
In turn, this has a wider impact on their performance and achievements across the curriculum.
Access to opportunity is important to the BT group, so different metrics are used to identify and prioritise schools in areas of higher need. If you’d like to find out more about the success of this programme, then visit the Work Ready website.
