Lords Committee formally launches inquiry into state of UK's digital skills
A new House of Lords Committee looking at the country's digital competitiveness is today publishing its Call for Evidence.
The House of Lords Committee on Digital Skills will, over the course of its inquiry, examine the digital capability of the nation. It will take an overview of current and future technology trends, and what these mean for our society.
The investigation will explore how the UK can be prepared to compete in a global digital economy, examining issues such as whether we're developing a workforce that is appropriately skilled for the future in jobs that may not yet exist, and how we are encouraging people of all ages to choose careers which will benefit the future digital era.
A major area for investigation is the competitiveness of the UK. The Committee will look at how we can best position the UK to become a world leader through teaching and developing the range of skills necessary to ensure we have a competitive digital economy in the new technological age.
Baroness Morgan of Huyton, Chair of the Committee, said:
"The level of technological change in the UK and the rest of the world is staggering, and having a workforce that possesses the right skills is going to prove vital to our economy.
Our Committee will therefore be analysing in-depth the state of the UK's digital knowledge, and examining whether our labour market is skilled enough to compete on the international stage.
This will involve looking at the range of skills we are teaching our students and graduates, comparing whether what we teach them matches the rapidly growing and anticipated number of ICT vacancies, and looking at making sure we have the infrastructure to support the digital environment of the future.
I believe it's going to be crucial for the UK to create a workforce that is skilled enough to stay ahead globally, particularly in terms of digital skills. I hope that this inquiry will shine a light on whether or not the UK sits at the top of the class or whether it must try harder.
We would encourage anyone with relevant expertise or experience in these issues to submit evidence.”
The deadline for submitting written evidence is 5 September 2014.
