future.now brings together organisations to motivate people and businesses to boost their digital skills to thrive in a digital UK.
it’s time
future.now is a call to action
The way we live and work is changing. While the UK is a world leader in digital, the speed of change is leaving many of our people behind.From the day to day tech skills you need in any job just to stay in touch. The way you buy things online or arrange appointments electronically. To the more advanced skills required to fill a variety of digital jobs. There is a growing skills gap. And it’s not just those people with little or no skills – we all need to boost our digital skills for the future, whatever level we are at today.
So, digital exclusion and the skills gap matter, but what’s the answer?
The risk is looking for it in the wrong place – more training sounds appealing, but in truth there’s no lack of training out there. What holds us back is a motivation gap and a lack of understanding of what’s really needed.
Too many people don’t see the point in taking the time out to keep up with new technology. And even when they commit, it’s hard to know where to start. It can be a bewildering landscape – along with strong demand for technical skills like programming and app development, there’s an urgent need for human-centred skills such as creative thinking, problem-solving and negotiating.
That’s why future.now is bringing together organisations to motivate people and businesses across the UK to boost their digital skills.
We need hundreds of organisations to get involved and drive change with us. Our vision is to empower everyone to thrive in a digital UK, by helping people to understand the digital skills they need for life and work, inspiring them to invest time in the tech they need, and then supporting people by signposting the training they will need to match their own ambitions.
It’s a call to action to business, government, charities and education providers – together, we can shift perceptions of digital skills from boring and niche to fun and vital, then help people make sense of the opportunities these skills can bring them.
founding partners
coalition members
“We are, without doubt, in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The boundaries between different industries are becoming blurred, just as our physical, biological and digital worlds are fusing together.”