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The government has published its Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan, the workforce plan that sits within the Sector Plan in the Industrial Strategy, setting out how it will open up more routes into digital and technology careers, with a particular focus on young people. 

Around 800,000 digital and technology roles are projected to need filling between 2025 and 2035. Yet many young people who have completed a computing course, degree or apprenticeship are finding it harder to get a first role. In cyber security, the share of job adverts open to people with less than a year’s experience fell from 25% in 2022 to 16% in 2025.  

The ambition of this plan is to fill 800,000 digital and tech roles over 10 years, 200,000 entry-level jobs over 10 years, and 20,000 entry-level jobs a year on average. 

Industry is central to delivering these ambitions. Commitments announced at the plan’s launch include more than 10,000 work experience, placement and learning opportunities from TechFirst Partners, among them techUK members: Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Cognizant, Arm, Kainos, QinetiQ, and AtkinsRéalis. 

techUK has contributed directly to the development of the plan through its work on the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Digital Skills Council. The Council will now oversee delivery and review progress each year, with a full review and updated plan scheduled for three years after publication. The plan also recognises techUK’s role in working with industry to gather employer commitments and report on progress. 

By bringing together industry expertise and supporting collaboration between employers and government, techUK will continue to play a role in helping turn the plan’s ambitions into tangible opportunities for the next generation of digital and technology talent. 

Four-part government plan and how to get involved  

1. Inspire one million young people through TechFirst. The government aims to inspire one million young people through AI and technology learning by 2028 — a year earlier than originally planned. This will sit alongside wider reforms to the curriculum and technical education, with a focus on reaching disadvantaged schools across every English region and each nation of the UK. 

• Your business can get involved by providing expert talks, mentoring, curriculum projects and workplace visits with TechFirst partners.

2. Open entry-level opportunities at scale. The plan brings work experience, T Level placements, apprenticeships, TechFirst undergraduate placements and entry-level jobs into a single Digital and Tech Skills Deal. Future Skills Needs Assessments and other published research will inform our understanding of workforce demand, priority roles and the effects of AI. 

• Get involved by making one specific, measurable commitment over a stated period, choosing the routes that suit their business, such as work experience, T Level industry placements, apprenticeships or entry-level jobs for young people and career changers.   

3. Deliver local opportunities that meet local needs. A national plan can set the direction, but opportunities must reflect the needs of local employers and communities. The government will work through Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the devolved governments to support locally led coordination, with dedicated support for SMEs. 

• Get involved by working with local partners to shape and host high-quality opportunities: setting out what they can offer, providing meaningful work and supervision, and helping young people understand what is expected in the workplace.  

4. Build digital and AI skills throughout working life. Government is committed to helping 10 million people build practical AI skills by 2030 through AI Skills Boost, and refresh the Essential Digital Skills Framework.

• Get involved in the AI Skills Boost programme, of which techUK is a proud partner, and encourage your staff to develop their AI skills through the free courses available on the AI Skills Hub.  

What else does the plan mean for employers?  

Entry-level opportunities are not just for young people: A key principle is that entry level is defined by experience, not age. This means career changers and people returning to work can also benefit, while young people remain a priority. This is an important distinction that techUK has advocated for. Apprenticeships must remain accessible to people at every stage of their working lives, and we firmly believe that apprenticeships are for all. We also welcome the plan’s focus on widening access to digital and technology careers for women, disabled people, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic minority groups.  

Social value in procurement: The plan highlights the role of public procurement in supporting skills development. For public contracts worth £5 million or more, the social value weighting doubles from 10% to 20% under PPN 026. Apprenticeships, T Level placements and work experience are named as ways to deliver it. For employers bidding for public contracts, this creates an additional incentive to invest in skills development and create opportunities for people entering the workforce. 

Professional recognition for learners: From April 2027, BCS will offer free professional recognition to every learner who completes a digital T Level, V Level or apprenticeship. This will help learners demonstrate their skills and achievements as they progress into employment.  This plan is the start of a process, not the end. It sets a clear national direction for the Digital and Technologies sector, grounded in what employers need, but delivery must be shaped with those who understand local economies and labour markets best. In England, as more control of the skills system is devolved to local leaders, it provides a common framework that Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local authorities can draw on alongside Local Skills Improvement Plans. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where skills are devolved, we will work with each government on how the plan can support its own priorities. 

Turning ambition into reality 

techUK will focus on to support effective delivery:  

• Proportionate reporting: The Skills Deal will only work if commitments and reporting are genuinely proportionate. The plan rightly says reporting must be limited to information employers can provide. techUK will work with government on a simple, shared reporting template, so that a single placement from a small firm is recognised alongside larger programmes. 

• Align the levers that decide whether employers can hire: Fully funded apprenticeships for under-25s are welcome, but the wider system needs to work too. Government and Skills England should finalise the levy-eligible training list under the Growth & Skills Levy, including short digital, AI, cloud and cyber courses, and extend levy fund expiry from 12 to 24 months. HM Treasury should also consider extending the National Insurance upper secondary threshold to all employees under 25, as the Work and Pensions Committee has recommended. If government wants employers to invest more, businesses need confidence that the funding available today will remain available tomorrow. 

• Resourced local coordination within a national framework: building on existing sector bodies and local partnerships within a coherent national framework, so employers can find and support opportunities more easily. 

• Treat domestic and international talent as complementary: The plan recognises that some priority roles currently rely on international talent and that postgraduate supply in some subjects is sensitive to visa policy. techUK has always believed that we should not view the need for international talent as a temporary measure until the UK can cultivate a sufficient domestic talent pool. Building domestic routes and staying open to global talent should go hand in hand. 

Antony Walker, Deputy CEO, techUK said: 

The Government’s Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan is a clear recognition that young people are central to the UK's digital future. We were pleased to play a role in shaping it. Demand for digital and tech roles continues to grow, and the ambition to open around 200,000 genuine entry-level jobs, including apprenticeships, over the next decade is the right one to support both young people and the wider economy. The tech sector is already developing the next generation of talent, and we stand ready to build on that work. We look forward to working with Government, Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the devolved governments to ensure this ambition becomes reality. 

What happens next and how to get involved 

Over the coming months, techUK will work with government and other sector bodies on how Skills Deal commitments are gathered and reported, and how the Deal is promoted to our members. Through the Digital Skills Council, we will continue to raise what is working and what is not as delivery gets under way. 

techUK has also joined the government’s Early Careers Jobs Alliance, strengthening our commitment to working collaboratively to create more opportunities for young people and help employers turn their early careers ambitions into practical action. We want to hear from members about what would help you offer more entry-level roles, apprenticeships and placements, and where the barriers lie. 

If you would like to get involved or share your views, please get in touch with Nimmi Patel, Associate Director – Skills & Talent Policy, techUK.