Lords Committee asks how to join up 'fragmented' digital skills teaching
On Tuesday 14 October the House of Lords' Digital Skills Committee will hear from Go ON UK CEO Rachel Neaman, telecoms group TalkTalk, Maggie Philbin and others as part of their inquiry into ICT, competitiveness and skills.
The Committee has already heard from several witnesses claiming that skills delivery in the UK is patchy and fragmented, with disjointed ‘pockets of fantastic practice'.
The Committee will quiz witnesses on several aspects of skills delivery, from preparing the workforce, to identifying skills gaps, to reducing inequality between the digitally skilled and the unskilled.
The witnesses for next Tuesday's session are Rachel Neaman, CEO, Go ON UK; Karen Price OBE, Chief Executive, e-skills UK; Maggie Philbin, UK Digital Skills Taskforce & CEO, TeenTech; Clare Sutcliffe, Co-founder, Code Club; Iain Wood, Public Affairs Manager, TalkTalk; and Mary Payne, Chief Executive Officer, UCanDoIT.
Questions the witnesses will face include:
- How should we be preparing the workforce for skills needed now and skills needed for the future?
- How does teaching skills to the tech industry vary from teaching skills to the wider workforce?
- Are employers' skill demands being met?
- Is skills delivery patchy and fragmented?
- What can be done to ensure a consistent provision of skills across the country?
- How should the Government support the delivery of skills?
- How can the Government ensure technology advances do not lead to increases in inequality?
The first evidence session will take place in Committee Room 2 on Tuesday 14 October, starting at approximately 10:15am, with the second starting at approximately 11.15am.
The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.
