Government’s Post-Brexit Digital Strategy

Following the news about Government’s post-Brexit digital strategy, Dr Jamie Graves, CEO at ZoneFox  commented below.

Dr Jamie Graves, CEO at ZoneFox:

 “Although the Government’s digital strategy is encouraging, currently the lack of detail is concerning. So far, the initiative fails to pinpoint factors such as how it will be measured to ensure its success. Britain doesn’t need any more strategic plans, it needs to start seeing tangible results.

“Rolling out free, basic digital skills is a welcome start, but not all the UK needs. Cyber crime is continuing to cripple companies and over two-thirds of businesses can’t find enough talent to defend their company against cyber threats – yet it gets little mention in this new strategy. The UK has employer demand exceeding candidate interest by more than three times; surely this is a more pressing issue than Google’s coastal town summer school.

“A digital strategy plan will only be as good as the foundation it’s built on. While the news is welcome, this appears to be a bit of a sticky plaster. We need to invest further in STEM, and to encourage greater female participation in particular in the computer sciences and cyber security where it’s woefully low. Fundamentally, if the UK is falling behind when it comes to digital skills, this leaves a worrying gap in the security ‘fence’ around the country.”