The global Covid-19 pandemic is first and foremost a public health crisis – the gravest of our generation – and it is only right that the Government has taken decisive action to protect the elderly and most vulnerable in our society.
At the same time of course, concern around the economic impact of the outbreak is mounting. Many successful businesses – especially sole traders and SMEs - now find themselves fighting for survival. The spread of the coronavirus is presenting an immense challenge to small businesses everywhere. Recent research from our partner, Small Business Britain, suggests that over 72% of businesses expect the impact of the coronavirus to reduce their revenues by over 50%, and for another 21% of businesses by over 20%.
As a critical national enabler for the country, everyone at BT is working hard to help keep the UK up and running during this difficult time.
BT is supporting businesses – from sole traders, SMEs, all the way through to large corporates – by giving them access to the best technology, flexible options and training to help them navigate through this challenging period.
For SMEs, being able to adapt their business model and move their offer online is going to be absolutely essential.
That’s why small businesses need support to build their digital skills – and that’s where BT Skills for Tomorrow comes in. Over the last six months, we’ve been working with Google Digital Garage and Small Business Britain to run face to face events right across the UK to help small businesses with digital skills. Running sessions about digital marketing, taking your business online, data analytics and more.
BT held its first Scottish Skills for Tomorrow training event for SMEs in Glasgow, at the Science Centre, in December 2019. Hundreds of businesses received expert advice on how to build a digital marketing plan; how to use data analytics to find new insights; and how to ensure greater visibility online. Event leaders also covered areas such as growing a business internationally and utilising social media to reach new customers.
The free sessions, now temporarily switched to webinars, are part of BT’s Skills for Tomorrow initiative - a major new programme designed to empower 10 million people by giving them the skills they need to flourish for the digital future. BT has collaborated with leading digital skills organisations to collate the best courses and information, in one easy to navigate place, with these free resources available to anyone. Everyone is included - from school children to older people; from young adults looking for employment; to SMEs looking for growth.
This comes off the back of BT’s latest research tapping into SME opportunities and challenges, heading into the New Year. Almost 30 per cent of SMEs agree that acquiring the right digital skills in business and enhancing online presence is a key challenge in the next 12 months. And, almost 40 per cent of Scottish SMEs believe that BT should play a role in providing digital skills training.
Scotland faces a digital skills gap, which is having a profound impact on the country. The rapid pace of change is leaving people behind – as many as 11.3m UK adults and 10% of the UK workforce lack basic digital skills. The tech sector is forecast to be the fastest growing sector in Scotland to 2024, in terms of GVA – growing more than twice as fast as the economy overall. This digital skills gap is costing the UK economy an estimated £63bn a year, according to BT’s latest Digital Impact and Sustainability Report.
Alan Lees, BT’s director of corporate and public sector in Scotland, said: “In this digital era, the fact is, every SME needs to be a technology business to succeed. But, as our research indicates, many SMEs struggle to keep up with the pace of technology. We believe that the key to closing the digital divide is in empowering SMEs with the right tools to radically improve operations and cement business success.”
BT supports thousands of SMEs in Scotland, and around 1 million across the UK, who play an important part in the economic success of the nation.
Some of the forthcoming free webinars will cover the best collaborative tools to support remote working, how businesses can connect with customers online and alternative business models using digital approaches.
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