How can I move my career towards the best digital companies? This was the name of the kick-off to present the new Master in Digital Business (DMBA ISDI – Leadership EADA) launched jointly by EADA Business School and ISDI. The event took place in November and was a great opportunity to discuss the most sought-after digital business skills and the real impact of the digital revolution on business.
Dionís Guzmán, director of ISDI in Barcelona, and Antony Poole, EADA’s Master in Marketing director, highlighted the speed of innovation and change in digital technology. “Companies require managers with a broad and deep understanding of how these technologies can transform existing businesses and create new business models for emerging opportunities,” they said. The directors citied data backing up the need for digital skills, including studies showing that 9/10 of future jobs in the European Union will require these skills. Sixty-five percent of students today will end up working in jobs that do not yet exist, and by the end of 2020, 500,000 digital jobs will be left unfilled due to the lack of qualified candidates.
The biggest growth sectors are startups and digital companies, agencies and consulting, and large multinational companies.
Guzmán and Poole confirmed that the sectors with the greatest potential for growth in terms of employment were startups and digital companies, agencies and consulting, and large multinational companies. The profiles that are most in-demand include Digital Account Manager, Data Analyst, CRM Specialist, Social Media Specialist, SEO & SEM Specialist, Digital Transformation Project Manager and UX & E-commerce Specialist.
They went on to detail the most important skillsets for digital professionals, divided into three main areas:
- Business skills: customer centricity, metrics, e-commerce, mobile, search engines, digital advertising & media, business model canvas, UX & prototyping, agile & scrum, social CRM.
- Tech skills: software tools such as Salesforce, Slack, Google Analytics and Jira.
- E-leadership: critical thinking, digital collaboration, a startup mindset (Agile & Lean Management), managing diversity and complexity, dynamic problem solving.
Guzmán and Poole pointed out that the most difficult qualities to find in candidates are the ability to influence others, strategic thinking, drive and resilience, Big Data analysis and the ability to solve complex problems.
A holistic view of digital business
Attendees of the event had the opportunity to learn about the recently launched Master in Digital Business (DMBA ISDI – Leadership EADA) . The programme, which begins in February, was designed jointly by both institutions, and is aimed at recent graduates looking to enter the world of digital business with advanced business leadership skills.
According to Guzmán and Poole said, this is the right programme for young talent to develop the essential knowledge and skills to lead the digital revolution. The master’s combines classes and 100% hands-on digitalisation projects. The methodology includes several complementary components to ensure that students get the most out of each module:
- Knowledge: The master’s covers all of the areas of management in a company in the digital age, taught by top experts from the field: strategy, innovation, technology, digital marketing, e-commerce, data analytics and transformation.
- Tactics and certifications: Participants receive certification in the leading platforms and digital tools to give them a boost in market employability.
- Practical execution: Students take part in practical digitalisation projects for a company, including tutor-led group work using agile methodologies and collaborative tools.
- Real business experience: The creation and market launch of an e-commerce product with real investment in marketing, product delivery, customer management and billing.