The government has set out its vision for growing the digital economy, with a focus on strengthening the tech talent pipeline with the digital skills the economy needs at every stage, from school to lifelong learning.
Tech Minister Chris Philp unveiled the new UK Digital Strategy at London Tech Week as new data shows the UK has overtaken China for investment in tech startups. The key points are:
- There will be a new single vision from government to grow the digital economy – addressing tech sector skills, investment and infrastructure
- Measures to keep UK tech sector fit for the future will include an external review of UK’s computer power and a new expert council to tackle the digital skills gap
Estimates suggest the digital skills gap costs the UK economy as much as £63 billion a year in potential GDP.
UK Digital Strategy: addressing the skills shortage
As part of the government’s ambition to tackle the gap at all levels, a new Digital Skills Council will bring together industry leaders and training experts from Starling, Amazon Web Services and Multiverse. Working directly with employers, the council will encourage investment in employer-led training to upskill workforces.
In addition, the UK Digital Strategy includes an allocation of up to £23 million for universities to fund scholarships for AI and data science in England.
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