Agenda item

(Led by: Mandy Ridyard, Lead Officer: Liz Hunter)

The Board considered a report of the Head of Transport Policy on the Digital Skills Plan.

The Chair introduced the item following which Andrew Wright presented the report to the Board. The report sought input from the Board on:

·       The proposed interventions in the Digital Skills Plan.

·       The Board’s endorsement of the Digital Skills Plan (including proposed performance targets) before its submission to the Combined Authority.

·       The Board’s views on the proposition of refreshing the Digital Framework and understanding how the Board proposed to be involved.

·       The Board’s views on the proposition of converting the Local Digital Skills Partnership into a Local Digital Partnership, once the LDSP project ends.

·       Asked the Board to consider the regional challenges around digital skills such as the need for social inclusion, place making, business support and inward investment. The Board also agreed to a deep dive on digital as a separate meeting in the future.

Andrew Wright highlighted several items to the Board which the Digital Skills Plan aims to address including:

·       West Yorkshire has the fastest growing digital sector outside of London and is the UK’s number one location for tech scale-ups. Increased digital skills would support this ecosystem.

·       Increased digital skills would enable greater digital transformation across other key sectors, such as Manufacturing, Engineering and Health. Increased digitisation would help them to compete and support their sustainability.

·       Over 80% of all jobs in West Yorkshire currently require the minimum of basic digital skills.

·       With 80% of the 2030 workforce already in employment today, reskilling the existing workforce would be a major challenge between now and 2030.

·       Fewer than 10% of pupils take a Key Stage 4 Computing qualification in West Yorkshire and girls are far less likely than boys to study digital-related courses.

·       Socially, reducing the numbers of digitally excluded residents would have wider benefits on elements such as physical and mental health, regeneration and education.

The aim of the Digital Skills Plan was to prioritise skills and training to ensure everyone in West Yorkshire is equipped with the skills they need to secure work and to support local businesses and be a champion for our regional economy.

Members made several observations:

·       Members of the Board noted that a great deal could be learnt from how the City of London successfully promotes cultural activities such as by ensuring that digital and skills are interconnected, with promotion activities linked to well-known tourist sites.

·       A comprehensive sectoral approach should involve skills in addition to place and infrastructure such as 5G, smart cities, broadband and connectivity measures.

·       It was hoped that any Digital Skills Plan would be ambitious in scope by establishing a strong partnership between the public and private sector by linking the needs of employers with the aspirations of individuals.

·       Members of the Board noted that it was vital to emphasise the challenges in mapping digital skills onto qualification levels which can vary considerably from individual to individual.

Resolved:

      i.         That the Digital Skills Plan be approved before its submission to the Combined Authority Committee.

     ii.         That the Board note the proposal to convert the Local Digital Skills Partnership into a Local Digital Partnership once the LDSP project ends and that the feedback provided by Board members be noted.

    iii.         That the Board note the proposal to refresh the Digital Framework and that the feedback provided by Board members be noted.

   iv.         That the proposal to adopt the Digital Skills Plan as a deep dive on digital be accepted.