A few of my thoughts: The UK Digital Strategy 2022/25

Following GOV.UK 's published UK Digital Strategy 2022/25 from Department for Culture, Media and Sport , it lifts the lid on a 3-year road-map aiming to boost the digital prospects through turbocharging the economy within the context of several other concurrent strategies and proposals.

It makes for interesting and encouraging reading if delivered to plan!?

It’s essentially clear, however, to place the recent strategy into context.

The already announced National Innovation Strategy, National Data Strategy, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Integrated Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy are distilled into the current strategy document.

Here are a few of my overall thoughts.

The 21-point plan provides strong analysis of the challenges the UK faces, and associated

actions for achieving stated goals, primarily that of the nation to become 'the best place in the world to start and grow a technology business'

It outlines the government’s proposed digital transformation, from IT infrastructure to skills, its particularly bold and ambitious.

Within this, their 6 key 'missions' include closer focus on sustainable tech, a more singular access point to government services, substantial investment in digital skills, improved financial management and entire scope for digital transformation of public services.

I have chatted to a few colleagues in the technology space, in relation to the bold optimism of some of these goals within the 3 year timescale the government have allocated themselves.

On virtually ALL of the 6 key missions my colleagues and associates have responded with scepticism; especially so with the governments own plans for digitalisation…. Me too..?

This strategy, however, does offer good insight into how government intend to underpin economic growth through job generation and expansion/focus of both product and service marketplaces; the key elements to fostering better digital growth and development.

There’s an overarching aim to transform every public touch-point we have to government services through a single sign-on (#sso) also with a focus to deliver mobile first experiences.

For businesses and citizens, streamlining the timetables and connecting together what had once been largely siloed #ukgovernment departments is definitely a significant step towards a digital future where we will all benefit.

However, at this point, will we really see a renewed government determination whilst it evolves its digital services? It’s going to involve all the departments collaborating with each other (that’s not always happening with regular tasks such as announcing new policies!)

Importantly, the proposal requires a monumental amount of public funding to ramp up e-government and digital-first services for the #publicsector, which may seem a tall order when faced with other critical government cuts.

In all fairness, the UK is actually well placed as a “digital leader” and the recognition of an OECD - OCDE ranking puts us only second to Switzerland in relation to a comprehensive road-map for #digitalstrategy.

My thoughts so far, being that delivering on?ambitious targets is a whole different ball game to “setting out” those intentions!

So far, the #DCMS has done fairly well to work closely with National Cyber Security Centre to collate a workable raft of useful strategy and guidance documentation for businesses of all sizes, as well as looking at the current legislation surrounding consumer devices.

It’s encouraging, albeit vital that international #cybersecurity has emerged as a theme in the leadership race; this needs to remain a priority, not withstanding the more recent joint warnings from #MI5 and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that commercial organisations on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly being targeted by state sponsored hackers.

A challenge requiring us to raise our game domestically.

Growth through digital standards and digital skills:

Where the #UK already contributes a great deal of value to the #international community is standards. Specifically, those relating to #trade, #products, and #data.

As the UK's digital strategy points out, 'we want to be at the forefront of shaping international thinking around digital innovation, developing common standards and supporting open trade as we move into a borderless #digitalage.'

Now that the UK has left the Council of the European Union , maintaining an active role and strengthening our voice internationally is critical. It’s also a valuable issue to focus on, given the slowing growth for the UK's economy over the next few years; our policies need to make it easier to trade with our partners, not harder.

The last thing we should be doing is adopting a range of potentially conflicting rules and standards which govern #internationaltrade.

Having said this, with my eyes on the decent number of international trade deals and collaborative international business and market growth events, I think this is an area our government are actually doing well with (because, overall, there aren't too many areas, as a whole, in my opinion, and that's beyond this digital strategy!)

Naturally, if the UK is positioning itself as the standard bearer for quality, one which is open for business and in pursuit of growth and #productivity, we also need a continuous supply of innovative products and services to sell too.

Talent Development

The strong focus on #talentdevelopment, and 'Ensuring the UK has a digitally skilled #workforce' really is a major objective.

As an example, #3DPrinting and the #AdditiveManufacturing industry, is growing around 22% annually, and it creates significant demand for talent and skills across the UK.

Whilst many traditional #manufacturing skills, such as mould-making, can and do carry over, it's clear that ongoing #digitalskills and #education #investment is essential to help people retrain to enable new generations to come through and thrive.

This requires a doubling down on #digitalliteracy for a changing world, so there are more people capable of leveraging #technology to design and create, rather than simply consuming technology as a product.

Also, there's the additional benefit that tech savvy individuals with a higher level of digital education are better prepared to support UK organisations' efforts to mitigate #cyberthreats.

There’s a strong nod towards advanced #innovation – such as #artificialintelligence (#AI), #5gtechnology and #quantumcomputing, although some (including myself), feel there’s not enough on service innovation and core capabilities.

I personally would have liked to see more emphasis on #digitaltransformation, development #processskills, #operationtechnology (#OT) skills and the #internetofthings (#IoT) with #technologyintegration into processes.

“Tech firms must help manage change through investment and education”

I’m happy to say that from working within this space for 18 months, I’m already aware of the strength in support that the government has in this matter.

Not to mention the large number of “easy to access” points provided by digital skills leaders with course criteria’s.

There are well over 50 individual digital #skillsbootcamp providers just in the #northwest alone offering a range of #bootcamps for new learners and #upskilling for current employees across a wide range of disciplines. All of which are either fully or part funded by the Department for Education .

List of North West Digital Skills Bootcamps (As I’ve checked, I know it can’t be up-to-date and can only assume it’s constantly being added to!)

This is separate to the plethora of available #apprenticeships at different entry levels in #digitaldisciplines across the UK.

It’s fair to say DFE have already invested an incredible amount so far to #funding digital and #technologyskills.

Latest Education and Skills Funding Agency Budget &16-18 years #traineeships: Funding Rates and Formula 2022 to 2023

Whilst I haven’t included nearly everything in my round-up of opinions on this digital strategy, I’ve included the areas that either struck my interest or have involved some of my business experiences.

For those integral organisations involved in helping deliver the government's digital strategy, as long as standards are kept as high as they have been and the nation's defences and resiliency are as much a focal point as the doubling down on digital skills, then productivity and growth will continue to push through in the short to long term (even given the harsh realities of today as we stare the #costoflivingcrisis and #energycrises in the face).

#UKtech and #UKdigital organisations play such a pivotal role in the #ukeconomy from providing the foundations of #employment, #economicgrowth, #nationaleducation and helping transform #energysystems away from reliance of #fossilfuels to much more!!!

I’m not going to go down the recent government u-turn relating to fossil fuels and North Sea oil & gas because that’s not the intention of this article. However, it’s outrageous !

With the UK economy forecast to face a “#technical #recession” with an economic slowdown in 2023-2026, no one can be complacent.

There’s still enormous potential to be unlocked if the UK can continue to drive investment into the digital and technology sector.

DCMS estimations show that if the UK’s digital ecosystems are supported, the sector’s contribution to annual GVA could grow by an additional ￡41.5 billion by 2025.

#PublicSector #ukdigitalstrategy2022 #ukdigitalstrategy #advancedmaterials #advancedmanufacturing #datasecurity #skillsgap