17 March 2025
FutureDotNow has today published its latest progress update and plan for Routes to 20 million five-year strategy, setting out how it will scale action in 2026 to close the workforce essential digital skills gap.
Routes to 20 million is FutureDotNow’s strategy to help the UK build a digitally capable, future‑fit workforce. The new Progress Update and 2026 Plan captures the momentum built across the coalition in 2025 and sets out a clear, shared plan for the year ahead.
The strategy remains unchanged but the focus for 2026 is sharper. Building on what is working, FutureDotNow will prioritise engaging many more businesses in the mission and providing practical tools and solutions that make it easier for organisations to take action.
Liz Williams MBE, Chief Executive of FutureDotNow, said:
“The digital capability of our workforce is fundamental to UK growth and prosperity. As AI reshapes every sector, every worker must have the chance to build essential digital skills. In 2026, we will continue to scale what works and mobilise more organisations to close this skills gap so people, industry and the economy can thrive.”
From progress to scale
The update shows how Routes to 20 million has moved from strategy into action. In its first year, the programme brought businesses, policy makers and delivery partners together around a shared goal: closing the hidden middle of the workforce digital skills gap.
Collaboration has been central to progress. Cross‑sector sprints have helped surface and tackle systemic barriers, while a growing delivery community has shown what’s possible when organisations work together rather than in isolation. Sector‑based action has emerged as a particularly powerful route to scale, with early leadership in construction and infrastructure, health and care, education and government.
As overall sponsor of the sector pathway, Marsh has supported this employer‑led approach. Richard Cross, Regional People Leader UK at Marsh, said:
“When employers invest in their people, they create the biggest opportunity to drive transformation, build resilience and lift productivity. That’s why Marsh is proud to work with FutureDotNow to mobilise greater sector activity to build digital skills.”
Clear priorities for 2026
The 2026 Plan sets out two clear priorities that cut across FutureDotNow’s four strategic pillars of pathways, enablers, campaigning and convening.
First, engaging more businesses. FutureDotNow will work with sector leaders, regional partners and influencers to raise awareness of the essential digital skills gap and encourage more organisations to step into leadership roles, sign the Workforce Digital Skills Charter and take practical action within their own workforces.
Second, making action easier. Having built a strong evidence base and suite of resources, the focus now shifts to curation and accessibility. Tools, frameworks and guidance will be aligned to where organisations are in their journey, helping employers understand their starting point, build a business case and move from intent to impact.
This includes wider use of the Essential Digital Skills Organisational Maturity Framework and continued work to ensure the Essential Digital Skills Framework remains future‑fit as technologies such as AI evolve.
Matt Prebble, CEO of Accenture UK & Ireland, said:
“FutureDotNow is proving that collective, employer‑led action can shift the dial on workforce digital skills. What comes next is clear: scaling business action so every worker has the essential digital foundations to succeed in a fast‑changing economy.”
A shared plan for collective action
Routes to 20 million is underpinned by a delivery model designed to drive systemic change. In 2026, FutureDotNow will continue to convene its delivery community through focused sprints, supported by shared goals, measures and learning. Flagship moments, including the Workforce Digital Skills Summit and the Senior Leaders Council, will bring practitioners and decision‑makers together to maintain momentum and align action.
The Progress Update and 2026 Plan also sets out clear ways for organisations to get involved, from signing the Workforce Digital Skills Charter, to joining sector or regional workstreams, to becoming a FutureDotNow member.
“We have a plan, and it’s working,” FutureDotNow Chief Executive Liz Williams MBE concludes. “But there is much more to do, and our work has never been more vital.”
