UK Digital Strategy

On 1 March 2017, the government published the UK Digital Strategy. This applies the principles outlined in the Building our Industrial Strategy: green paper to the digital economy, and builds on the Government Transformation Strategy, which maps how the government will transform the relationship between the citizen and the state to improve public services.

The Digital Strategy is described as a first statement in an ongoing conversation between digital businesses and government.

The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said the government is committed to; “…ensuring the UK is the best place to start and grow a digital business, trial a new technology, or undertake advanced research - and that the UK digital sectors remain world-leading. This requires supportive regulation but also first-class digital infrastructure and an advanced skills base.”

The government suggest that more than four million free digital skills training opportunities will be created as part of the Strategy, including:

• A plan by Lloyds Banking Group to give face-to-face digital skills training to 2.5 million individuals, charities and small and medium businesses by 2020.
• Plans by Barclays to teach basic coding to 45,000 children and assist up to one million people with general digital skills and cyber awareness.
• A pledge by Google, as part of their commitment of five hours of free digital skills for everyone, to help boost digital skills in seaside towns.

The strategy includes seven strands:

• Building world-class digital infrastructure for the UK.
• Giving everyone access to the digital skills they need.
• Making the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business.
• Helping every British business become a digital business.
• Making the UK the safest place in the world to live and work online.
• Maintaining the UK government as a world leader in serving its citizens online.
• Unlocking the power of data in the UK economy and improving public confidence in its use.

However, there have been criticisms that the Strategy does not go far enough, and questions about where the money will come from.

On construction, the Strategy states:

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• 2016 budget.
• BIM.
• Building our Industrial Strategy: green paper.
• Construction 2025.
• Digital Built Britain.
• Digital Built Britain v BIM.
• Digital Construction Week 2021.
• Digital strategy.
• Government Construction Strategy.
• How to make the digital revolution a success.
• Industrial Strategy: building a Britain fit for the future.
• Interview with Su Butcher, Director, Just Practising Limited.
• Level 3 BIM launched.
• Rural broadband.
• Smart cities.
• Universal service obligations (USO).