Digital strategy launched

Plans to boost the number of digital jobs to 150,000 by 2021 have been outlined in the Scottish Government’s new digital strategy.

Realising Scotland’s full potential in a Digital World sets out how the Scottish Government intends to place digital at the heart of everything it does from reforming public services to delivering economic growth. This includes:

• Creating the conditions which could lead to 150,000 working in digital technology jobs across Scotland by the start of the next decade.
• Ensuring that every premises in Scotland is able to access broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps by 2021
• A new digital schools programme
• A new round of funding for community digital inclusion projects and expand Scotland’s Digital Participation Charter
• Infrastructure that is secure and resilient against cyber attack
• A new Digital Growth Fund to address the current undersupply of digital skills.

Launching the strategy during a visit to a newly converted high-tech acceleration and growth space for aspiring businesses in Glasgow, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Constitution Derek Mackay said:

“Digital is transforming the way we live. It is connecting us faster than ever before while putting more power into the hands of service users. There is a huge opportunity here and now to ensure that people, businesses and organisations across Scotland, are given the tools and skills they need to harness this potential.

“Our vision is for Scotland to become even more digitally competitive and attractive. By developing our existing workforce and increasing our digital capabilities across society and the business community, we will ensure that our citizens have the opportunity to improve their digital skills with everyone who wants to get connected able to do so, and public services designed by and for citizens that are secure. This will in turn will have a positive impact on growing our economy.”

Background

Click here for Realising Scotland’s full potential in a Digital World.

Click here for the Scottish Government’s 2011 Digital Strategy.

Read the recent Digital Growth Fund announcement.

Click here for the Digital Strategy Evidence Paper.