A look at the key discussion points from The Recovery Roadmap Report in association with TechnologyOne.
During the Roadmap to Recovery three key themes emerged on how we best support our public and education sectors to build back better. Taken from the UKTCG and TechnologyOne’s Recovery Roadmap Report, these included:
1. Growth in the digital sector
The COVID-19 crisis saw many traditional businesses faltering through circumstances beyond their control.
We need a profusion of new tech start-ups to drive recovery and create new jobs. But rather than seeking to replace like with like, we must reengineer the support we deliver to start-ups and entrepreneurs, from idea to investment, to help them build back better businesses which are structurally resilient as well as technically innovative.
All tech start-ups have a global outlook, so the support we provide must also ensure that they are equipped to trade internationally across Europe, following the end of the Brexit transition period, and around the globe.
2. Infrastructure
A rush to digital adoption always risks leaving people behind. To support the workforce to become proficient users of digital technology, employers must enable their people to understand which of their existing skills are adequate and transferable, and where the gaps lie. Government must support employers, and workers with practical and financial support to fill those gaps to ensure that no one gets left behind, and to ensure that employment and career development opportunities are accessible. Local government must collaborate with business and learning providers, and with tech communities such as our own.
As digital natives adept in technology, we must always be sensitive that digital terminology can be difficult to understand and digital roles can be hard to find. We must change the language we use to describe digital jobs so that they are more comprehensible - and less frightening - to those new to digital working. We must also focus on removing barriers which are preventing workers from upskilling into a digital role, for example, poor domestic broadband or a disability.
“Tech should no longer be seen in a silo. Tech should be seen as the way we do things.”
Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy, Wales
3. Digital as an enabler
The COVID-19 lockdown forced the UK’s workforce to compress a decade’s worth of digital skills adaptation into a handful of months. This process has been involuntary, complicated, and not fairly available to all. To build back better, investment is needed to help users become proficient in digital technology, to equip them with the critical thinking needed to exploit new technologies, and to make better provisions for the technical skills that businesses and the economy need.
The Recovery Roadmap Report
The full Recovery Roadmap Report, in association with TechnologyOne, is available for public viewing here.
