Skills
The Digital Health & Care Innovation (DHI) operates at the intersection of innovation and education.
We collaborate extensively with partners, at all stages of learning and skills development, to integrate a robust skills development programme that covers the entire life span of education to support the digital transformation of the Scottish health and social care sector and its workforce capability needs.
This includes primary and secondary schools, continuous professional development (CPD), and citizen upskilling.
Primary and secondary education - DHI is keen to engage with schools, teachers, career advisors, pupils and parents/ carers to inspire the next generation of digital health and social care professionals.
We liaise with partners including Education Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland, local councils and several colleges and universities to raise awareness of career opportunities within the digital health and social care sector.
The #DigiInventors Challenge is our main programme of activity which runs year round, across both primary and secondary schools. Its focus is to inspire and empower young people to identify and develop entrepreneurial and digital skills while raising awareness of career opportunities in the digital health and care sector.
School education
Select a stage of skill development
Understanding the different categories of the workforce impacted by digital transformation in health and social care is crucial to tailoring the development of appropriate skills and capabilities.
DHI categorises this workforce as:
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Frontline health and social care workforce
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Technical workforce
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Specialist knowledge, information, digital, and data workforce
Workforce definitions
Further education
DHI works with colleges across Scotland to influence health and social care curricula and enhance educator awareness of the impact of digital transformation on future workforce skills and capability requirements.
Current activity
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Co-developing a pack of educator materials for colleges to help inspire health and social care lecturers to consider how the changes brought on by the digital transformation of the work in their sectors should be reflected in teaching. Working with City of Glasgow College health and social care lecturers to co-develop and pilot a CPD process with a view of developing a pack of learning materials to be disseminated nationally across Scottish Colleges via the College Development Network. If you are interested in accessing or supporting this work, contact our Head of Research and Skills.
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Collaborating with City of Glasgow College to pilot a Graduate Innovation Internship Scheme, where relevant recent graduates are recruited to join DHI on a 12-month fully paid employment.
Past activity
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FUTUREquipped (2018-19) was a landmark initiative and is still the largest College innovation project in Scotland to date. Developed and delivered in partnership with BE-ST (formerly CSIC), the £307K project engaged 27 lecturers and over 500 students from health and care, construction and ICT from 13 Scottish Colleges to learn about the future of these sectors via the medium of SMART housing. The lecturers co-developed a set of learning materials for use in colleges to learn about SMART.
Current activity
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Digital Essentials for Carers: In partnership with UHI Moray and local partners, we are launching an online module to boost digital competencies among caregivers in Moray. This module, consisting of four units featuring case studies, interviews, and video demonstrations, concludes with a digital badge per unit and a certificate upon completion, supporting the CPD of both paid and unpaid carers.
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Innovation Skills and Capabilities: Recognising the evolving demands in health and care, DHI supports the development of training resources in Moray to equip the workforce with essential design innovation skills, enabling them to address everyday challenges effectively.
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MOOC on Data in Health and Social Care: Developed in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, The Data Lab, and Urban Tide, this Massive Open Online Course explores the use of data in health and social care. It offers insights into healthcare data analytics, data governance, and collaborative practices with data scientists and digital teams to enhance the sustainability of health services.
These initiatives are part of DHI's commitment to fostering a skilled workforce adept in navigating the digital transformation of health and social care environments.
Workforce CPD
DHI influences continuous professional development (CPD) in the digital health and social care sectors. We collaborate with key stakeholders such as NES, SSSC, Scottish Care, and academic institutions to develop and provide CPD materials and opportunities. Our initiatives also focus on diversifying career paths into digital health and social care, including tailored programmes for Armed Forces Service Leavers and Veterans.
DHI supports the development of digital health and social care as an academic field through academic grant awards, master’s scholarships, supporting PhD students, and through collaboration in funding bids and in research and development projects.
Our research not only identifies skills shortages and gaps but also promotes the development of educational opportunities. This ensures a steady flow of highly skilled professionals ready to excel in the digitally transforming health and social care sectors.
Academic grant awards
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Evaluation of R&I Projects: DHI can supports Scottish HEIs to evaluate ongoing research and innovation (R&I) projects through academic grant awards. This initiative helps ensure that academic research aligns with practical needs and contributes effectively to the digital transformation. We usually have two calls per year, which are open to Scottish academic institutions. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for the most up-to-date information.
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We work with HEIs to evaluate their education provision to create education pathways for careers to support the digital transformation of health and social care.
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Higher education
Current activity
Master’s scholarships
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Annual Scholarships: Each year, DHI awards 20 FTE master’s scholarships across Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). These scholarships are available for master’s courses (taught or by research) that either focus on or include elements of digital health and social care. The aim is to support the education of professionals who will contribute to the digital transformation of health and social care sectors.
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PhD Studentships Support: DHI supports PhD studentships in-kind, relating to the digital transformation of health and care. This support includes access to DHI’s expertise, networks, and ongoing projects, providing a valuable resource for PhD students engaged in relevant research. Contact our Head of Research and Skills to discuss this opportunity.