Scotland has a great deal to be proud of in terms of its track record in the ICT and Digital Technology sector with strong growth, increased levels of exporting and a large share of the foreign investment being attracted to the UK.

However, this level of growth and the increasingly global outlook brings with it serious challenges in making sure that firms working in Scotland’s ICT and Digital Technology sector can support the pace of change and development and ensure that they can stay at the forefront of innovation.

Making sure that companies have access to a skills base that allows them to capitalise on the opportunities of today and tomorrow is of fundamental importance with Scottish companies not being immune to the pressures faced by competitors across the world.

Wide range of initiatives
It was against this background that SDS in partnership with our industry partners launched a Skills Investment Plan for Scotland’s ICT and Digital Technology sector in March backed by £6.6million investment in the sector by the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership.

Based on extensive consultation with employers and industry partners along with research and labour market information, the themes of the Skills Investment Plan are: responding to the immediate need for skills; broadening the future talent pipeline; raising the profile of sector and its careers; and working together to make the education system more responsive to the needs of employers.

Career of choice
SDS is working across all of these themes to implement an action plan featuring a wide range of initiatives which will see SDS working alongside employers, academia and industry stakeholders.

The New Year will also see the launch of a marketing campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the IT sector and promoting it as a career of choice, giving people a better understanding of the range of opportunities available.

In the first edition of our ICT and Digital Technology Update, you can read about some of the other recent developments and initiatives which SDS and its partners have worked on, and in the coming months we’ll offer further updates on the work being undertaken as it unfolds.

What’s next?
If you would like to know how your company can become involved in this work or would simply like to find out more please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at Skills Development Scotland.