The UK’s digital strategy, a document designed to serve as a guideline to help the country recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, has been postponed – without a new concrete deadline.
In a written statement, Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) digital and culture minister Caroline Dinenage said that the document can be expected some time later this year.
“We are continuing to consider the best timeframe for delivering the strategy, in light of the broader national context including the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said. “We are currently working towards publishing in 2021.”
The pandemic has disrupted most industries, with manufacturing, tourism and hospitality being hit particularly bad. With the business world currently propped up by technology, the document’s goal was to build a strategy for the creation of a digitally-skilled workforce.
It is also supposed to help people adjust to a digitally-first economy, move some businesses into the online world and help workers re-skill for the tech sector.
“The Government is committed to driving growth in the digital sector and wider economy, and to ensuring that we maximize the benefits of a digital-led economic recovery,” Dinenage added. “We will ensure that the Digital Strategy supports these objectives, both in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and into the future.”
Upskilling the workforce is exceptionally important, as many employees found themselves in a remote working environment for the first time in their lives, without proper training or mentoring. Many ended up asking family and friends for help, which is a security risk in its own right.
