Future-facing industries need 120,000 technicians

Dr Kelly Vere MBE | 22nd April 2026 | Comment
The UK needs more digital technicians to keep up with the growth of industries such as artificial intelligence (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
The UK needs more digital technicians to keep up with the growth of industries such as artificial intelligence (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Dr Kelly Vere MBE, Director of the UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy and Director of Technical Strategy for the University of Nottingham highlights the technical skills gap in future-facing industries.

The UK’s Industrial Strategy sets out bold ambitions to strengthen skills and accelerate access to talent, and early signs of delivery are beginning to emerge. New Technical Excellence Colleges have been announced across the IS-8 sectors, designed to equip the next generation with high-level technical skills and provide clearer routes from education to work. Five will focus on the digital and technologies sector, reflecting the pace and scale of demand in this area.   This comes just weeks after new analysis revealed that the UK will need up to 120,000 additional digital and technologies technicians by 2035. 

"The UK will need up to 120,000 additional digital and technologies technicians by 2035"

Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber Security, Engineering Biology, Quantum Technologies, and Semiconductors are rapidly emerging industries with significant economic growth opportunities. Yet independent technical workforce a...

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