A presentation as guest speaker at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, hosted by RI District 9141, on August 31, 2019, at St. Patrick's College, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria.
Exploring basic skills and talents for digital opportunities
1. Exploring Basic Skills and Talents for Digital Opportunities
A Presentation by
David Ofili
At the Rotary
Leadership Youth
Award
Venue
St. Patrick’s College,
Asaba, Delta State,
Nigeria
Date
August 31, 2019
2. The ability to
do something
well
The beneficial
possibilities presented
by Internet and
computer
technologies
SKILL TALENT
A natural
ability or
quality
DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
The simplest
and most
significant for a
foundation or
start
BASIC
Basic DefinitionsB
3. The simplest and most significant foundational
abilities, learned or natural, needed to have an
edge in an environment where Internet and
computer technologies present beneficial
possibilities
In a Nutshell
7. In Africa, it still takes a
university graduate five
years, on average, to get a
job. Those are the lucky
ones. With demand
outstripping supply,
companies based in Africa
are repeatedly citing
insufficiently skilled labor
as an obstacle to growth
11 million youths
are expected to
enter the
continent’s labor
force every year
for the next
decade
Source: IBM Lights on Africa
On the Flip Side
Africa has the youngest
population in the
world, and it’s growing
fast. By 2055, the
continent’s youth
population (aged 15-
24), is expected to be
more than double the
2015 total of 226
millionSource: IBM Lights on Africa
Source: UNDP Africa
8. The Good News
A crucial part of this future workplace scenario is that the highest rate of
millennials will be located in African nations, with an estimated 400 million
people. Across the continent, young Africans are similarly digitally
connected. More than half of them have a mobile phone. And with nearly
half of the continent under the age of 15, there’s a predicted boom ahead.
Workplaces around the world are already bracing for the millennial
generation. Today’s modern organizations have to prepare for a
workforce that have lived all their lives with the advantages of the
Internet and global connectivity.
IBM: Lights on Africa
https://tinyurl.com/y2aq6vce
9. Charles Darwin Erica Jong Oprah Winfrey
Inspiration for the Future
“It is not the
strongest of the
species that
survives, nor the
most intelligent,
but the one
most responsive
to change”
“Everyone has
talent. What’s
rare is the
courage to
follow it to the
dark places
where it leads”
“Do what you
have to do
until you can
do what you
want to do”
10. Basic Digital SkillsB
• Turn on a device and enter any account information as required
• Use a mouse and keyboard on a computer, use a touch screen on a smart
phone or tablet
• Use settings menus to change device display to make content easier to read
• Find applications by choosing the correct icons on the home screen
• Connect a device to the Internet using the Wi-Fi settings, and insert the
password when required
• Keep login information for a device secure
Foundational Computing
• Connect a device to the Internet using the Wi-Fi settings, and insert the
password when required
• Locate the browser icon on a device and find a website
• Keep login information for websites secure, not shared with anyone or
written down and left prominently near your device
• Use bookmark/favorites
• Understand simple search terms/conventions
• Conduct basic Internet search and understand the priority of search results
• Locate web address
• Understand the concept of hyperlink
Internet
Microsoft Office Suite
• MS Word for document processing
• Excel for spreadsheets
• PowerPoint for presentations
• Outlook for corporate email setup
• Access for database creation and management
Graphic Design and Basic Photo Editing
• CorelDraw for image/document creation, design and editing
• Adobe Photoshop for photo design and editing
• GIMP for Linux users
• Knowledge of any other photo viewing and editing application
preinstalled on your device
Communication
• Set up an email account
• Set up groups on messaging platforms
• Communicate with others digitally using email and other messaging apps
• Attach documents and other files to email and messages on messaging
platforms, and share same
• Communicate using video tools, and participate in meetings using same
11. • Have at least, one programming / scripting skill, for design /
development of a simple application, and to make your device
function in certain ways
Basic Digital SkillsB
Social Media
• Pages and groups management
• Writing and editing
• Search engine optimization
• Customer service
• Design and photo editing -- people remember 65 percent of a
message when it’s accompanied by an image and only 10 percent
when it’s not
• Analytics and reporting
• Video Creation -- four years from now, video content is poised to
account for 80 percent of all consumer Internet traffic
• Paid social basics
• Research and planning -- make sure that all your data and ideas
come from credible sources
Web Design
• Visual design
• UX - user experience
• Print design
• Content creation skills
• HTML
• CSS
• Digital Marketing /SEO / Social Media
Coding
12. Critical Thinking
Complex Communication
Creativity
Collaboration
Flexibility and Adaptability
Changing course and adapting quickly when there is a new
and/or unexpected challenge
Emotional Intelligence
Objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a
judgement. It involves conceptualizing, synthesizing, and
analyzing data, as well as the ability to reason and draw
conclusions from those analyses
Ability to take technical terms and explain them in
writing and through speech, in a way that the rest of the
team / organisation understands
Capability to discern one’s emotions and those of others
appropriately, and use same to guide thinking and behavior
for adaptability and achievement of goals
Ability to think of new and impressive ways to solve a
problem and/or achieve a goal
Listening to ideas, brainstorming, communicating, taking
feedback, and the willingness to work with, and share with
team members and partners
Meet goals in a timely manner, produce expected results,
and be responsible for one’s assigned task
Productivity and Accountability
Basic Soft SkillsB
Time Management
Ability to use one's time effectively or productively, especially
at work
13. The art of
motivating a
group of people
to act towards
achieving a
common goal
Well versed with
digital technologies
and how they can be
applied effectively for
the purpose in
question
Able to handle
digital disruption and
adapt to change,
behavioral patterns
of thought and
emotions
Basic TalentB
Leadership Technical Behavioural
Source: https://tinyurl.com/y6ncycwfSource: https://tinyurl.com/ycrvah3v Source: https://tinyurl.com/yyh2tkxw
14. If your expertise
has a connection
with the public, you
need a touch of
digital
transformation to
sustain relevance
16. Bibliography
Department for Education. (2019, April 23). Essential digital skills framework. Retrieved August 27,
2019, from Gov.Uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/essential-digital-skills-
framework/essential-digital-skills-framework
Holton, B. (2019, February 13). Top 10 Web Designer Skills You Must Know in 2019. Retrieved August
27, 2019, from Tribulant: https://tribulant.com/blog/web-design/top-10-web-designer-skills-
you-must-know-in-2019/
World Economic Forum. (2019, June 26). 3 key talents for a successful digital transformation.
Retrieved August 27, 2019, from World Economic Forum:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/06/3-key-talents-for-a-successful-digital-
transformation/
World Economic Forum. (2019). The 3 key skill sets for the workers of 2030. Retrieved August 27,
2019, from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/the-3-skill-
sets-workers-need-to-develop-between-now-and-2030/
Writer, S. (2019). 6 Soft Skills Needed to Drive Digital Transformation. Retrieved August 27, 2019,
from SmartSheet: https://www.smartsheet.com/content-center/executive-center/digital-
transformation/6-soft-skills-needed-drive-digital-transformation