Scotland’s Digital Economy Skills Action Plan 2023-2028 launches

Launched on 8 March 2023, the Digital Economy Skills Action Plan (DESAP) aims to address the current and future digital skills gaps in the Scottish economy for employers of every size, in every sector, and in rural as well as urban areas. 
    
ekosgen worked closely with Skills Development Scotland to prepare the evidence base and develop the DESAP. The DESAP recognises that it is critically important for Scotland to equip its people and businesses with the digital skills and capabilities they need. 
 
The DESAP is not just about digital technology jobs or the digital economy sector. Rather, it reflects the fact that digital skill and capabilities are required in the vast majority of roles and occupations – at every level and every part of the economy for example, education, health, manufacturing, the public sector, tourism and energy.  
 
DESAP takes a whole economy approach, identifying priorities to support the development of the skills needed now and for the future. It considers the skills that enable individuals to use technology confidently and securely to carry out their jobs – with evidence that there are gaps and shortages at every level, and across every type of workplace. It ranges from day-to-day digital skills right through to those required for more specialist roles, such as data analytics, cybersecurity and software engineering. 
 
The DESAP identifies five priority areas for action. ekosgen’s extensive engagement with industry and stakeholders ensured that these are aligned with employer need: 
 
Create opportunities for all young people to develop critical digital economy skills  
Improve the evidence base of current and future digital economy skills needs, to support the transition to a digital economy and increase the pace of economic growth 
Improve the digital leadership skills of small and medium sized organisations  
Ensure that more skills and employment opportunities contribute to a fairer, more inclusive, and diverse digital economy  
Rapidly increase the acquisition of critical digital economy skills through workforce development, upskilling and reskilling 
 
The DESAP will deliver actions over the next five years with ongoing annual reviews, concluding in 2028.  Read the full report: Digital Economy Skills Action Plan 2023-2028