EARLIER this week I had the pleasure of chairing a lively, Question Time-style event looking at the digital skills gap in Wales and how to address it.

Digital Tuesday takes place on the first Tuesday of every month at the Celtic Manor and brings together people from all walks of life who have a shared interest in, and passion for, growing the Welsh economy through digital technology.

Fast becoming a must-attend networking event, Digital Tuesday combines informative talks and lively debates with getting people who work in similar or complementary areas to talk to each other.

This Tuesday’s event saw an audience of more than 100 people firing questions at a panel made up of entrepreneurs, business leaders, recruiters and educators about the perceived skills gap in Wales.

For me, it was interesting to hear people at the sharp end of the digital economy talk about the problems and opportunities they face.

Whether you call it digital, technical or IT, the reality is that every business and every profession now relies on skills that were once specialisms.

When I was at school, the only kids who “‘did”’ IT were nerdy types who frequented the only computer room and played Dungeons and Dragons in their spare time.

When I started work as a trainee reporter 30 years ago, I produced my copy on a typewriter. The thought of working with computers never entered my head.

Yet now we all work with computers, no matter what job we do.

And we all use IT in our daily lives, whether that be via laptops or mobile phones or tablets.

Nowadays, when I interview youngsters fresh out of university hoping to start careers as journalists, I want to know how they use social media, whether they blog, if they can shoot and edit videos, and whether they have any experience of coding or data journalism.

I still want them to have traditional journalistic skills, but they also have to have an understanding of the different platforms via which we deliver our news, sport and information.

That need for digital skills extends to almost every profession these days.

Tech companies account for the vast majority of business start-ups in this country, yet it is estimated there will be a shortfall of 750,000 skilled digital workers in the UK by 2017. And that could cost the economy up to £2 billion a year.

One of the key messages from panellists at Digital Tuesday was that schools must play a vital part in bridging this skills gap. But the changes in an IT curriculum that is no longer fit for purpose need to be made now, not some time in the future after they have been through Welsh Government committees and consultations.

In England, coding is now part of the primary school curriculum. That may be a help, but it is not a solution in itself.

Making a subject compulsory does not mean every child leaves school with the right skills. For instance, the majority of children leaving school in Wales are not fluent Welsh speakers.

The challenge for schools is to find teachers –- or to import people from business –- who can inspire youngsters to see digital as a career path.

Tuesday’s event didn’t solve the skills gap problem, but it did at least get the right people talking to each other about finding a solution and that is no bad thing.