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 analysis highlights a significant technical skills gap that will need to be addressed in the next decade if these opportunities are to be realised. The Technical Skills Landscape in the Digital and Technologies sector report, published by Frontier Economics and commissioned by the UK Institute of Technical Skills & Strategy, provides a detailed assessment of future technical workforce needs.  It identifies projected shortfalls across the six frontier industries within the digital and technologies sector. By 2035, artificial intelligence is expected to require up to 38,700 additional technicians, followed by cyber security (21,000) and quantum technologies (20,700). Engineering biology is also projected to need up to 20,700 technicians, alongside semiconductors (18,900) and advanced connectivity technologies (1,500). Taken together, these projections highlight that artificial intelligence, cyber security and quantum technologies face the most significant technical workforce shortfalls. It is encouraging to see a renewed focus on technical skills, with new AI and automation practitioner apprenticeships launching, and significant investment announced in AI, Cyber Security and Quantum Computing infrastructure. 

"The launch of the Growth and Skills Levy also marks an important shift in policy"

The launch of the Growth and Skills Levy also marks an important shift in policy. However, the question remains: will these initiatives be sufficient to address a projected shortfall of 120,000 technicians by 2035? To meet this challenge, we must move beyond broad skills rhetoric and address the specific, persistent barriers that continue to constrain the technical workforce.   Current data on workforce demographics for the six frontier industries is fragmented and inconsistent. Consistent and standardised data on technical roles would strengthen skills forecasting, provide robust regional insights to support Local Skills Improvement Plans, and enable better identification and tracking of industry clusters. Where data does exist, it highlights clear structural challenges. Around 78% of roles relevant to these industries are held by men, with persistent under-representation of ethnic minorities and disabled people. An ageing workforce presents an additional risk where an estimated 40% of the UK semiconductor workforce is expected to retire within the next 15 years.  Better data is essential for understanding and addressing these challenges early. It creates opportunities to diversify the workforce, such as the Women in Tech Taskforce, and the UK ITSS Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership. Without a significant expansion of the technical talent pipeline, cumulative shortfalls will intensify across all frontier industries by 2035. The projected 120,000 technical skills gap is affecting industry, SMEs, public services, and research. While apprenticeships, T Levels, and future V Levels will help, expanding and diversifying entry routes is essential to future-proof the talent pipeline.

"We also need to raise the visibility of technical careers"

We also need to raise the visibility of technical careers, as many young people are still unaware of opportunities, particularly in high-growth sectors. Initiatives like the Science Museum’s Technicians: David Sainsbury Gallery and the Technicians: We Make the Difference campaign are steps forward, but broader, sustained action is needed. At the same time, continuous training and clearer progression pathways must support those already in the workforce. In higher education, the Technician Commitment and initiatives like the University of Nottingham’s Technical Specialist Promotion Pathway show how technical careers can gain greater recognition and parity with academic routes. There is now an opportunity to build on this momentum and strengthen technical career development across the wider economy. In a rapidly evolving landscape, there re...