Well respected charity group, the Digital Property Alliance (DPA) has said that the UK
government needs to properly acknowledge and address digital poverty in the country. The
charity’s data shows that 82% of IT jobs in the UK require digital skills and that by 2030 there
will be five million digitally under-skilled workers.
Last year there were two million job vacancies in the uk but there were nearly twelve million
workers lacking essential digital skills. The DPA says the government should see digital
access as a right and not a luxury. Elizabeth Anderson from the charity said “You wouldn’t
move into a house that didn’t have water, why do we assume with more and more public
services and indeed corporate services moving online, that people can do without the
internet?”
The government revealed their digital strategy earlier this year but it has been criticised for
its vague suggestions and lack of solid plans. The DPA suggests that schools should be able
to ensure students have access to devices and that digital skills should be taught at the
teacher training level.