Are AI skills more important than a degree? New report suggests UK firms are leading the push to hire workers with new abilities

Date:
Thu, 05 Nov 2026 10:57:53 +0000

Description:
Employers seem to favor specialist AI skills over uni degrees, but degrees
and traditional skills are still in demand.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter UK firms lead the way in hiring AI specialists and investing in training for existing workers One in two prefer vendor certifications over traditional university degrees Recruiters are struggling to find tech professionals with communication skills Two in five (42%) UK companies are now hiring dedicated AI governance specialists, according to a new Randstad study, putting the nation ahead of the global average (31%), implying that the UK could well be leading the way when it comes to responsible AI.

Randstad says the findings are evidence that UK businesses are increasingly recognizing the need for dedicated AI oversight, rather than just lumping the new and evolving tech on existing IT teams. But it doesn't stop there,
because British firms (62%) are also ahead of the global average (54%) when
it comes to investing in AI compliance and safety training for their existing workers, too. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: UK orgs recognize the importance of dedicated AI skills But at the same time, we're also seeing a major shift in the qualities employers are looking for, with very nearly half (49%) of them prioritizing micro-credentials and vendor certifications that prove a level of competency over traditional university degrees.

This shift in attitude comes against a backdrop of ongoing recruitment challenges, with companies struggling not only to recruit the right talent, but enough of it ads for junior roles require AI skills have reportedly climbed 6.5x compared with early 2022. You may like AI isn't killing jobs
yet: Over 50% of businesses say AI is creating roles as massive upskilling push begins Tech skills gaps are costing UK businesses around 380,000 a year and it's even worse in cybersecurity Over half of firms are still holding off using AI for recruitment as human fears persist

Despite a clear rise in the importance of having dedicated AI skills, that's not to say that traditional qualities have been thrown out of the window. Two in three (64%) recruiters now say it's harder to find tech professionals with strong communication skills than coding skills.

"While technical certifications and practical experience are becoming increasingly valuable, human skills such as communication and stakeholder management remain critical," Randstad Digital UK MD Sanjeev Kaul said. Are
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Kaul also highlighted the UK's unique position in "preparing their workforces for the shift" by investing in existing workers and new recruits simultaneously, but the data shows plenty more organizations could follow
suit to keep up with competition. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/are-ai-skills-more-important-than-a-degree-new-r eport-suggests-uk-firms-are-leading-the-push-to-hire-workers-with-new-abilitie s


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