Can the UK become a Science Superpower when we have both a digital skills gap as well as a digital poverty gap?

Across the world public and private sector organisations are investing in digital transformation to help future-proof services, solutions, and infrastructures as well as to deliver improved services to their customers. After a tumultuous two years, the UK government is in no doubt that technology is paramount to the resilience and growth of the country's economy, and it is estimated that digital transformation could drive the UK's economic growth and higher living standards by over ￡413bn by 2030.

In his autumn statement the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced that he would increase public funding for research and development to ￡20 billion by 2024-5 as part of the Government’s mission to make the United Kingdom a “science superpower”.

More recently as part of his restructuring of departments and cabinet reshuffle the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced the formation of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in a bid to drive greater innovation and growth in the UK economy.

Both these announcements are steps in the right direction but for the new department to be a success and leverage the increased R&D budget to propel the UK towards this goal of becoming the “science superpower” I believe we need to address two key issues. The first is the issue of the growing digital skills gap and alongside that the emerging issue of a digital poverty gap in the UK.

Digital Skills Gap

If we look at the IT sector in the UK today as an example, we have over 60,000 vacancies to fill, and the problem is growing. Globally it’s estimated that by 2030, a staggering 85 million jobs will be unfilled due to skills shortages translating into a predicted overall loss of $8.5 trillion in global annual revenue opportunities. This gap within the IT sector will only grow still further if the right skills aren’t developed quickly across all levels of education and within the workplace.

A recent Forbes article suggested there were 3 key activities required to bridge the digital skills gap:

1.????Make STEM education a priority

2.????Focus on reskilling initiatives in today’s workforce

3.????Make “work-life balance” more than just a buzzword

To achieve the first the UK needs a forward-looking curriculum, benchmarked against the today’s global leaders. We must focus on education at all levels and ensure that the skills taught are diverse and fit for purpose. We know that education in STEM subjects is increasingly essential for solving many of the world's problems but also for providing the future workforce with what it needs to close this ever-increasing digital skills gap.

What is also important is diversity in STEM subjects and the news this week that in the UK 10,000 less 18 year old women have applied for university in 2023 compared to last year is not helping us to establish and maintain a diverse workforce.

While acquiring new talent may seem like a quick and simple way to address the digital skills gap in the workplace this approach not only has a high cost but also has a limited impact. A far more sustainable and cost-effective way is to upskill and reskill the existing workforce. Not only will this help with talent retention it ensures that people remain relevant in a rapidly evolving digital economy and organisations also benefit from a more prepared and engaged workforce.

In terms of work-life balance the freedom that the pandemic provided for people to work from home and an increasing requirement by the Gen Z cohort for work to be more flexible in terms of set hours and locations and has meant more organisations are having to rethink how they schedule and reward employees in a post pandemic workplace. If the digital skills gap continues to grow leading to a smaller talent pool the softer benefits that organisations can offer in terms of things like work-life balance will increasingly be the differentiators in attracting the right talent required for growth.

Digital Poverty Gap

But teaching these skills at schools, colleges and in the workplace is only part of the answer we must also give every citizen access to the technology they need to enable them to maintain and develop these skills. The Digital Poverty Alliance states that you are far less likely to have access to the online world if you’re living on a low income. In fact, the lower your income the less likely it is. In the UK today with more and more people facing economic difficulties not having access to the online world can mean not having access to the fundamentals of life. From social security, to healthcare, education and training, to finding work and applying for jobs more and more critical services are now moving online.

Recent work by Nominet suggests that one in five young people (8-24) do not have access to a laptop or desktop at home with expense being the most often cited reason. If this is the case, how can they be expected to lead the next generation of tech entrepreneurs and have the skills required to enter a workplace that is, according to a recent survey by DCMS, asking for “digital skills” in over 80% of job applications.

So digital inclusion is no longer something that’s ‘nice to have’ both in terms of the fundamentals off daily life but also in obtaining and keeping employment in an increasingly digital world, it’s an essential. Being in digital poverty and being cut off from digital services isn’t just an inconvenience it compounds and exacerbates poverty as well as contributing significantly to the digital skills gap.

Public Sector Challenge

The issues around the digital skills gap and digital poverty are not exclusive to the private sector we must not forget about the public sector. To ensure the UK can assume the role of a “science superpower” we need to ensure that the public sector is part of the digital revolution.

While private sector companies across the UK continue to prioritise investment in digital solutions and may start to address some of the issues discussed above there’s a growing concern that the public sector is falling behind.

The public sector in the UK is a huge employer and an essential part of our economy and deserves to be able to benefit from the latest developments and opportunities that come from accelerated digital transformation. Even within the government itself it would be to the benefit of the nation if we ensure civil servants have the right skill set for the digital age. According to the UK Civil Service Digital Skills Report over half of civil servants have warned their departments they lack the technological tools, resources and skills needed to transform public service.

A not insignificant amount of the promised ￡20bn R&D investment therefore is required within the public sector itself if we are to deliver the level of services UK citizens expect and need for the future, and that the majority of public sector employees want to be able to deliver.

One area that can be impacted quickly is upskilling the existing workforce and this is an area where private sector organisations can do more to help. Whether that be by mentoring and advising or by creating the content to upskill those in the mid-tiers of government, who may not be digital natives. Those organisations prepared to help also need to be more connected to the education process from schools, colleges, and universities, right through to training in the workplace. This is already happening on a small scale, but much more could be done to maximise these initiatives with the Public Sector.

Alongside this additional investment from government would allow platforms already established as a result of existing collaboration with technology companies, universities, and research establishments to be further developed for use in the public sector.

Summary

The data age is upon us, and the next phase of innovation will be driven by insights derived from this data, with AI, machine learning and augmented and virtual reality being the development tools for the next generation. Harnessing the power of this data will help the UK become a world leader in the innovation space and is key to assuming our place as a “science superpower” but to achieve this we need to provide the workforce of the future with the right tools.

In order to do this we must first address the issue of the digital skills gap from kindergarten to the workplace and from entry level to senior management. We must also start to address the growing digital poverty gap.

With each new development in technology more people are left behind if their skillset or economic situation does not enable them to engage and the talent pool for future growth gets smaller. We must also remember that this also makes existing inequities around race, gender, age, ability and income worse.

While this raises more questions than answers should we not all be asking not just our Government but our private sector businesses to do more to help us to bridge these digital gaps?

Richard Rawcliffe - Sales Vice President, Dell Technologies UK