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West Yorkshire Digital Blueprint Evidence Base

The Digital Blueprint Evidence Base offers a summary of the research done to shape the Digital Blueprint. This includes a public consultation that took place from October to November 2023. It explains the reasons for the Blueprint’s goals and the steps the region will take before 2030 to reach its digital aims.

Aims of the Digital Blueprint strategy

  • Create an inclusive society and thriving economy through the growth of digital skills for all.
  • Build one of the best digital sectors in the UK and grow the prevalence of digitally enabled businesses.
  • Be a leading region for high-speed gigabit-capable broadband connectivity and wireless mobile coverage, pioneering our approach to connected places.

Guided by this Digital Blueprint, we will…

  • Showcase West Yorkshire as the UK's premier inclusive and digitally connected tech destination.
  • Elevate West Yorkshire to become a global leader in advanced technologies and create a thriving ecosystem where businesses and communities can flourish.
  • Empower West Yorkshire residents and organisations to embrace hybrid-digital life and thrive in a hyperconnected world, where seamless connectivity fuels informed decision-making and unlocks a world of possibilities.
  • Foster a digitally inclusive West Yorkshire by embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles into digital skills initiatives, promoting inclusive practices among digital and tech businesses, and collaborating for universal high-quality connectivity.
  • Harness digital innovation to empower West Yorkshire as a global leader in sustainability, contributing to our aim to achieve net zero by 2038.
  • Transform West Yorkshire into a data-driven powerhouse, enabling businesses and individuals to harness the power of data for innovation, growth, and informed decision-making.
  • Convene an open and collaborative tech ecosystem in West Yorkshire and beyond, where best practices are shared, emerging challenges are addressed, and regional opportunities are coordinated and maximised.

Defining Digital

In West Yorkshire, we have a long history of innovation, often through harnessing new technology to take us to the next level.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is setting a course for its future with a Digital Blueprint that supports individuals, communities and businesses to thrive.

This refresh and update of our 2019 Digital Framework means we are ready for a future of digital innovation, with West Yorkshire at the forefront of new discoveries.

Implementing the recommended actions to 2030 will help:

  • Boost productivity
  • Reduce skills gaps/shortages
  • Improve our connectivity
  • Make us attractive for investment
  • Make residents' lives better

The Digital Blueprint sets out the commitments and activities that will need to be delivered on for the region. The Digital Blueprint has been drawn up in partnership with stakeholders.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority will continue to work closely with our five district partners, businesses, educational settings, and members of the public to make sure we deliver.

To give residents and businesses and opportunity to feed in directly to our thinking, a public consultation was launched in October-November 2023. 121 respondents fed back their views on digital.

These views are incorporated throughout the Blueprint. 72% of respondents were members of the public, giving their views as individuals. 23% were responding on behalf of, or as a representative of, a business or organisation. (5% other).

When asked to describe themselves when it comes to digital, 30% of respondents said expert, 63% said average, and 7% said beginner – this blueprint aims to offer recommendations that support all levels of confidence navigating the digital landscape.

The Blueprint approach

How we got here

Our ‘horizontals’ are broad policy areas that underpin how we drive forward our digital ecosystem across the next five years, running through all the themes we will work across:

  • Place – how we develop infrastructure to deliver for digital, our connectivity, and connected places.
  • People and Education – continuing to deliver digital skills, inclusion, workforce development and educational pathways.
  • Business and Organisations – supporting successful digital transformation, investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and research, and trade and export promotion.

Our 'verticals’ are topics that stakeholders and members of the public felt were specific concerns, strengths, or areas where action will be needed:

This Blueprint provides a regional overview and highlights specific, influential and prominent local events, groups and assets to illustrate the strengths it can draw on.

However, the richness of our exisiting digital ecosystem is best captured within the specific strategies of each of our partner Local Authorities:

A matrix to drive change

By weaving together our themes and cross-cutting areas the Digital Blueprint maps out the structure of a dynamic and thriving digital system in West Yorkshire that is driving growth and improving people’s lives and wellbeing.

Themes

  • Showcasing the region
  • Advanced Technologies
  • Hybrid Digital life
  • Inclusion
  • Sustainability
  • Data
  • Convening

Cross-cutting areas

  • Place
  • People and education
  • Business and organisations

Showcasing the region

West Yorkshire boasts a rich heritage of innovation and is rightly a place of high-level ambition when it comes to how digital can continue this tradition. We are a digital destination for businesses, individuals and families.

Place

  • We are set up for people and businesses to get the most out of digital - our connectivity outperforms the rest of the UK:
  • 85% of businesses and homes have gigabit-capable internet connections, seven percent above the national average.
  • 4G mobile coverage is growing and 91% of premises averaged across the region are already covered by all providers, compared with 85% nationally. Areas with lowest coverage are still two points above the national average.
  • West Yorkshire is a great place to live, work and raise a family; with residents average life satisfaction increasing in 2024, compared to the rest UK which remained static. We are a destination of choice for tech talent to combine career opportunity with a good quality of life.
  • West Yorkshire is strategically located for national connections, with major arterial roads and rail links to London as well as large northern cities. This gives residents and businesses easy access to connect with wider opportunities to collaborate, learn, recruit and work.
  • Our Regional HealthTech strategy and delivery of a national investment zone will bring together existing expertise and new investment to drive forward digital businesses and service design for patients.
  • Our Local Growth Plan sets out the approaches we will take to tackle our productivity gap, including backing Emerging Technologies as a potential high-growth sector

People and education

  • Our YourVoice survey showed people in West Yorkshire are excited, not put off, by what digital can do for them. When asked, ‘What do you think is the biggest thing the Government can do to support the West Yorkshire digital sector’ 79% of respondents selected either ‘Ensure everyone has access to digital technologies, despite barriers such as cost, skills, infrastructure, location’ (Digital Inclusion) or ‘Increase the skills of our residents to increase the digital talent pool.’
  • West Yorkshire is proud to be a leading region when it comes to making sure digital can be for everyone. Our skills programmes are set up to have a broad reach, ensuring a diverse talent pipeline, and our businesses embody the theory that diversity in the workplace is better for innovation and productivity – supported by our campaign for wide adoption of our Fair Work Charter.
  • As of the latest census, 23% of the population of West Yorkshire now identifies as being from an ethnic minority; approximately one third of households accommodate at least one disabled person and 49% of people in West Yorkshire are female – to grow the sector it must meet the needs of our diverse workforce.
  • We understand that everyone has a role to play in creating a more diverse and inclusive tech industry and already a third of apprenticeship starts in West Yorkshire in 2021/22 were women, up from 18% in 2017/18. People from ethnic minorities are well represented – 21% of digital apprenticeship starts are people from an ethnic minority.
  • Employment in specialist digital disciplines continues to grow strongly. Annual average employment growth for digital occupations has been 7% over the last decade in Yorkshire and the Humber, compared with 1% for the overall economy.

Business and organisations

  • Our region takes the lead in developing subsectors in line with the UK Government's goals for growth. This includes areas like geospatial information, space technologies, FinTech, AI, HealthTech, RegTech, AgriTech, and more.
  • Just under half of respondents to the YourVoice consultation (46%) believed that more investment into the tech sector would positively impact their life, and 70% of respondents either don’t know much about Smart Cities / Connected Places or had never heard of them. People need to understand more about the potential for technology and digital services to improve their lives to drive demand, which can be encouraged with effective showcasing within the region.
  • We have a strong, diverse digital ecosystem; our collage of international, national and local businesses makes us the best location for high-growth start and scale-ups outside of London. Our ecosystem has a strong talent pipeline stemming from our seven world leading universities and FE colleges. We produce 35,000 graduates a year. generating a deep talent pool and it is why the UK Government recognised West Yorkshire as a High Potential Opportunity in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.
  • Since 2018, digital businesses in the region have invested just under £23 million in R&D and raised £180 million in grants and fundraising. We have the UK’s 3rd largest concentration of software developers, making us more competitive in operational costs compared to other UK and EU locations

Advanced Technologies

We are already using of advanced technologies such as Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). This includes higher level skills training, sub-sector strengths and the role of smart cities and to improve lives and grow our economy.

Place

  • West Yorkshire is already in a great position with digital connectivity above national average, but this is unevenly spread across our districts and not always the best type available.
  • Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) figures in West Yorkshire are mixed; not all households and businesses have this option for faster internet connection.
  • Improving coverage alongside gigabit-capable provision will remove a key barrier to individuals, businesses and communities using advanced technologies such as IoT, AI, AR, VR.
  • 5G-enabled technologies have the potential to save public money – trials in Liverpoo’s UK 5G Testbed showed a potential 5% reduction in the cost of delivering adult social care when staff and clients used supportive technologies.
  • It is estimated UK SMEs are missing out on up to £8.6 billion a year in productivity savings due to the slow roll-out of standalone 5G (Vodaphone UK, 2024)
  • Having infrastructure that enables connectivity and data transfer will unlock incredible opportunities. Expanding our Connected Places ecosystem will help people reap the full benefits of ‘Smart Cities’ and improved public services.

People and education

  • The digital skills gap prevails, with digital skills provision not yet meeting the demands of the growing of the digital sector. Nationally this gap is estimated to cost the UK economy nearly £63 billion a year in GDP (UK Govt, 2022)
  • West Yorkshire’s higher-level skills provision is extensive with seven universities, seven colleges and numerous Independent Training providers delivering qualifications for the next generation of digital innovators in of West Yorkshire.
  • The University of Leeds is in the UK top ten in the country for Computer Science Research Quality (REF 2021) and the University of Bradford has one of the UK’s largest AI student cohorts in the UK.
  • The Combined Authority (CA), working with employers, is working with young people to develop a future talent pipeline for the region. We have supported almost 200 schools and colleges to improve careers support and destinations for students, including teacher Continuous Professional Development (CPD), teaching resources for digital skills, and digital careers factsheets for students.
  • The Combined Authority reaches 2.5 million people each year through our all-ages career platform, FutureGoals, providing local knowledge on West Yorkshire’s growing sectors, fresh job opportunities, and the best pathways into good, well-paid jobs.
  • The Combined Authority also offer targeted, intensive employment support to people of all ages to help move those furthest form the labour market closer to, enter or return to work or progress within their current work, including linking residents directly to jobs in local businesses.
  • In West Yorkshire, there were 1,370 qualifiers from digital courses in higher education in 2021/22. There were 3,120 enrolments on foundation level ICT courses in further education in 2021/22, 6% higher than in 2019/20. There were 170 Skills Bootcamp starts on ICT courses in the first half of the 2022/23 academic year. With 1,022 digital apprenticeship starts in 2021/22, digital apprenticeship starts are well above pre-pandemic levels, growing strongly at Advanced and Higher Level.

Business and organisations

  • Advanced technologies are becoming pivotal in streamlining operations, enhancing productivity and driving innovation. West Yorkshire has the potential to lead in this area with institutions like NHS Digital and NHSC. The region also boasts over 600 health and life sciences firms, 250 MedTech companies and 65 digital health ventures.
  • According to DCMS’ ‘Assessing the UK’s regional digital ecosystems’ report, Yorkshire’s digital sector has shown strong growth in economic output (6.5%, 2014-2019), faster than the UK’s Digital Sector. The strong growth in digital sector employee jobs, at 8.2% per annum, surpassed any other UK region. The recent digital occupation growth rate, at 6.7% per annum, was also in the top quartile of UK regions.
  • West Yorkshire's prowess extends to sectors as varied as finance, logistics, manufacturing, and agriculture.
  • Leeds has been ranked eighth outside London for city AI-readiness, showcasing our region’s ability to foster to digital innovation.
  • The rapid adoption of AI is leading to growing consideration of transparency, ethics and responsible use. As the region advances technologically, it should remain rooted in values that prioritise the well-being of its citizens.
  • Despite increased public awareness of AI, ONS found that between 3 to 16 April 2023, just 16% of businesses across the UK were using at least one of the AI technologies asked about in the survey.
  • 14.8% of business respondents to our YourVoice consultation said they were not looking to implement new software systems, AI, machine learning, digital machinery, or cloud- based services. There is an opportunity to better present how one or more of these technologies can help all businesses and organisations in the region to help them thrive.
  • Virtual and Augmented reality technology are already a part of how communities experience and participate in cultural opportunities, with West Yorkshire arts organisations using these tools to make art and performance innovative and accessible. Increasingly they will be used in other contexts including education and healthcare, and support solving a huge range of challenges from poor mental health, to pain management, to civic engagement.

Hybrid Digital Life

Digital approaches have increased options for how and where people live and work. This can make day-to-day life easier for residents and businesses and make day-to-day services more accessible (without removing the need for humans).

Place

  • In 2022, in the UK, a DCMS survey showed that 58% of people believed that on balance, digital technologies had made their lives better. As such, we need to better understand what this means for our communities, homes, leisure spaces and work.
  • We understand that technology should never fully replace human-to-human contact. Instead, it should enhance, simplify and facilitate communication and create better results for everyone.
  • In West Yorkshire, we want to support our region and prepare for change, whether that be systems or infrastructure.
  • For transport, hybrid digitisation includes higher level of automation during ticket purchasing and journey planning, as well as broader connectivity with information relating to travel. For West Yorkshire this means passengers will increasingly have the ability to purchase tickets and plan onward journeys whilst on the go.
  • The digital transformation of transport works together with other services also. Advanced technologies can provide information needed to address transport problems such as traffic jams, utilisation of vehicles and pollutant levels. This data collection helps identify causes of problems and can lead to solutions such as new public transport services and routes.

People and education

  • In an increasingly digital society, the possibilities of remote participation and digital tools help people manage their careers, money, health, housing, leisure, career, and mental wellbeing.
  • “Instead of commuting to work every day and holding meetings face to face, I can now be more productive whilst working from home and being a parent present for my kids” – A respondent to our YourVoice survey.
  • As of 2024, 93% of adults in Yorkshire and the Humber have essential digital skills for life; a significant increase from 75% in 2021. These include using video call technology to socialise, searching for work via online platforms, or safely using comparison websites to help save money when shopping for large-ticket items such as insurance.
  • Over the same period, 84% of adults in Yorkshire and the Humber have the full range of essential digital skills for work, up from 59%. These include using the email address book in their organisation to ‘cc’ in colleagues; working remotely using a virtual private network (VPN); using document formats such as PDFs; and using video-conferencing platforms.
  • Our YourVoice consultation showed that new technologies such as artificial intelligence ‘means nothing’ to 6%, ‘scares’ 19%, ‘intrigues’ 57%, and ‘excites’ 18% of respondents. Supporting those who are scared or unsure of the benefits and threats of digital approaches and leveraging the excitement and intrigue of the everyone else to do so will be key in helping people to navigate changes to support their wellbeing.

Business and organisations

  • Over half of the 2023 graduates who are now employed in remote or hybrid roles work from their bedrooms, and 60% of them prefer this (Prospects early careers survey). How can businesses adapt to attract and retain high skilled workers who want to work this way?
  • Digital tools have substantially improved operational efficiency. According to a 2019 UK report, businesses that adopted digital tools saw a 20% increase in productivity compared to those that didn't.
  • Remote work saw a significant boost due to the pandemic. By mid-2020, 46.6% of people in employment in the UK did some work at home. This shift has allowed businesses in West Yorkshire and beyond to tap into a broader talent pool and offer greater flexibility, which often correlates with increased employee satisfaction. ONS data from 2022 tells us that around 25% of employees in the Yorkshire & Humber region work from home at least some of the time.
  • Digital platforms have connected West Yorkshire businesses more than ever. UK-wide studies show that over 60% of SMEs collaborated with other businesses digitally in 2021, reflecting inter-business networking and growth.
  • As of 2023, only 77% of SMEs within Yorkshire and Humber have high digital capability. Staff in the 23% of SMEs with low digital capability are less likely to have essential digital skills to support the business including confidence to signpost their own website; use email to communicate with customers; use social media to interact with customers and suppliers; and use online accounting software.

Inclusion

Digital inclusion for all. Ensuring West Yorkshire has 100%, affordable internet connectivity (Connections and Devices) and enables all groups to access and use the internet as they wish.

Place

  • Our definition of digital exclusion refers to those who are not able to use the internet to participate fully in modern society. Digital disparities are not only a moral obligation we need to tackle but are undermining efforts to “rebalance and grow the UK economy” and will mean “the UK will struggle to maintain competitiveness” as a result (HoL, Digital Exclusion report 22/23).
  • Digital connectivity is a utility, yet, of households earning £25,000 or less, 1 in 5 never use the internet, rising to 1 in 3 with disabled people and 1 in 2 of those aged 65+ (2022).
  • Digital Poverty is a vicious circle. Those without digital connectivity lose out and become financially poorer. According to ONS, 1 in 3 people are not using the internet due to cost, despite Internet providers being legally required to provide affordable ‘social tariffs.' (2019). It is suggested that the tariffs offered by providers provide basic speeds which on many occasions are not viable for a typical family and can attract stigma.
  • Disabled people, older people, those from ethnic minority groups and other groups that may be disadvantaged through bias may find this is made worse if data sets replicate that and then feed into decisions make automatically by digital services. Increasing our usage of digital tools must result in redressing imbalances and in-built biases in data, not entrenching them.

People and education

  • Who is most likely to be digitally excluded? A homeless person trying to move into permanent housing while overcoming addiction and mental health challenges; An older person approaching end of life in a care home; An asylum seeker learning English and applying for settled status; A working person on a low income or a person who is unemployed; A person with health conditions or disability. Anyone facing and dealing with challenges in their everyday life can find these are made worse by a lack of access to digital services.
  • In 2023, those who regularly got online fell from 99% to 95% across the UK, and in Yorkshire and Humber 4% of people remained offline (2021). Although the pandemic accelerated the shift to digitally centred lives, cost of living challenges have made affordable, reliable internet access and up to date devices less accessible - a key concern for many people.
  • Up to 19 million people face digital poverty in the UK, with a strong correlation with age, employment and housing status. 1 in 2 older adults are in digital poverty, and 1 in 5 are in severe digital poverty. 20% of children are in digital poverty. Unemployed people are nearly 2-3 times more likely to be in digital poverty (2023).
  • In the YourVoice survey, when asked ‘Thinking about people you know that don’t access things online, what are the reasons for this?’ 83% of respondents knew someone who is offline. One respondent shared “Don't leave people behind. Lots of us (e.g me) have a fragile grasp of technology. My elderly mother has no grasp.”

Business and organisations

  • These businesses with low digital capability will fall behind, missing out on opportunities to improve productivity, cost efficiency, accessibility, innovation, reach mores customers and support recruitment.
  • In West Yorkshire's dynamic third sector, an estimated 12,000 organisations and groups employ 29,700 full-time equivalent individuals. These organisations play a crucial role in addressing social disparities and delivering essential services to communities across the region. They contribute an estimated £3 - £4 billion to the economy and serving as a lifeline for vulnerable groups grappling with poverty, homelessness, disability, or discrimination. As a sector, these organisations are committed to social inclusion and empowerment, including digitally-focused initiatives.
  • Digital inclusion includes breaking down the barrier entrepreneurs face when accessing venture capital investment. There is a lack of diversity in venture capital investment, for example only 3% of VC funding went to all female teams, compared to 68% to all male teams. (Extend Ventures Report, 2023.) The picture is similar for other groups that experience disadvantage.
  • Underrepresentation in the tech industry is still commonplace. In the UK tech market, only 26% of workers are women (2023). Tech has a marginally higher proportion of ethnic minority employees than the labour market as a whole; 11.8% for all occupations, and 15.2% for tech (2021). However, this does not reflect West Yorkshire, where 23% of people are from an ethnic minority (2021 Census).
  • Tech now accounts for around two million jobs in the UK but only 9% of all IT specialists have a disability (2023).

Sustainability

The Combined Authority has a bold and ambitious target of reaching Net Zero by 2038. Digital sustainability and sustainable digital technologies can help our communities transitioning towards net zero goals in West Yorkshire.

Place

  • Digital technologies and data can make significant contributions to achieving our climate and environment goals. It was found by the World Economic Forum that digital solutions can reduce global emissions by 20% by 2050
  • Fibre optic cables have a longer lifespan than traditional copper cables, require less power to operate, and have lower energy transmission which reduces carbon emissions from power used. They are also more resilient to extreme weather events, making roll out a priority for reasons beyond high-quality connection.
  • High-speed connectivity opens the possibility of hybrid working, which can increase options for flexible and remote work. Not only has this been found to increase employee satisfaction but it can support individuals to explore active travel options.
  • The application of digital tools to drive lower emissions can be significant. For example, often the biggest water waste is due to leaking pipes; sensors and analytics have a huge role to play in identifying costly losses and prioritising maintenance.
  • There are many ways our region can benefit from the application of digital approaches to the sustainability agenda; air quality and flood risk measures can inform our strategic planning frameworks; energy consumption data can support business and households to plan usage during peak demand; a smart cities approach can reduce the costs of lighting, heating and maintaining our public buildings and streets.

People and education

  • When it comes to sustainability, digital skills are an enabler, supporting movement into productive and emerging jobs within the region, such as those committed to by the Mayor’s 1,000 Green Jobs Pledge.
  • Evolution of digital skills to support all sectors will be key to helping businesses develop their sustainability and therefore cut costs, cut carbon emissions, and enhance their productivity. This includes innovation skills required across the ‘green sector’ to tackle climate challenges.
  • Emerging technologies require a workforce with the skills to implement and embed them, and growth in sustainable infrastructure will increase demand for people who can retrofit fibre and copper wiring (to improve internet access) and install smart homes safely (to help save energy and reduce waste). It will also require more analytics expertise to interpret data for more sustainable decision making.
  • The Combined Authority has committed significantly to fund skills support focused on green and digital skills, for businesses and individuals to help reaches its net-zero target. Our Digital skills plan supports ‘better jobs’ and more productivity aligned to the 2022 £7.5 million Gainshare programme investment focused on green and digital skills.

Business and organisations

  • With over 70% of businesses in the region adopting online services, the way they serve customers is changing. This shift has led to a potential reduction in regional travel emissions by up to 5%, making both business and leisure interactions more eco-friendly.
  • As the modern workplace in West Yorkshire evolves there has been a significant decline in paper usage - 40% . Beyond the immediate benefit of saving trees, this transition cuts down the broader environmental footprint associated with paper production.
  • As about 60% of local businesses have transitioned to cloud storage, the region has seen greater energy conservation. Centralised cloud solutions offer up to 30% more energy efficiency compared to conventional data storage, reflecting a broader shift towards green tech solutions, as well as providing greater resilience for companies.
  • Use of digital mapping for deliveries has led to a marked 15% decrease in fuel consumption, optimising routes and making every trip count.
  • Semiconductor technology is not only vital to UK prosperity and security – it underpins our national economy, to the value of £11 billion (2024). Our region plays host to a growing cluster of businesses in the semiconductor supply chain with an important role in driving forward more sustainable production while still meeting demand, especially in facilitating renewable such as solar power and hybrid vehicles.

Data

Data is the driving force of the world’s modern economies. It is important that we understand data, know how to use and collect it and store it safely. We need to also understand and support digital data skills, as well as understand the architecture of data.

Place

  • Data refers to huge array of different information that can support decision making; from healthcare records, to sales information, to census responses about where we live and who we are. It is a key driver for a thriving digital economy, but can also drive a fairer society when people feel confident to manage how information about them is used.
  • Data has transformed life in West Yorkshire. Our Local authorities use it plan where we need new housing and schools. Our doctors and hospitals use it to support people to live healthier lives in the community and avoiding time in hospital. Our businesses use data to find new customers and better understand what services and products they want.
  • In Yorkshire and the Humber 80% of business handle digital data (ONS UK Business Survey 2022). How do we support the remaining fifth to adopt using data to inform their planning, and support all businesses to use data more to grow and succeed?
  • Data is a huge part of everyday life. From applying for a loan, to taking out an insurance policy, to using loyalty cards, West Yorkshire residents need to know the data they rely on is secure, safe, good quality, and timely to access and update. How do we support people to confidently navigate sharing their personal data to improve their lives?
  • Data underlies many of the cross-cutting themes of this blueprint. It is an essential enabler of advanced technologies and smart cities and underpins how we monitor roll out of mobile and broadband connectivity. We need to make West Yorkshire a ‘data rich region’ so local authorities and other services such as Healthcare, Policing and Education providers are responding to people’s needs.
  • We also need to work to prevent relying on incomplete, insecure or biased data, as this will hold us back from solving problems or could worsen or entrench unfairness.

People and education

  • Data Analyst and Data Technician apprenticeship starts are in the top 4 digital apprenticeship starts in the region, demonstrating the strength of the talent pipeline for data in the area. Nevertheless, growth in specialism such as AI and cyber are driving demand for supply of broader data skills at foundational level to feed the pipeline of advanced skills and to provide businesses with foundational skills they need to work with data.
  • As data and technology change the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed from people in different sectors also change, and simultaneously increases the demand for technology- driven roles e.g. data architects and scientists. This requires us to have a greater understanding of and support in place for data skills. In 2019 PwC reported that 69% of employers were predicted to demand data and analytics skills from job candidates in 2021, but only 17% of UK workers were “data literate”.
  • There is significant demand for data skills with UK companies recruiting for 178,000 to 234,000 roles requiring hard data skills. 48% of businesses are recruiting for roles that require hard data skills but 46% have struggled to recruit for these roles over the last 2 years (2021). The supply of graduates with specialist data skills from universities is limited. While many companies undertake to train their own workers internally, half of all workers surveyed reported they had not received any data skills training within the last two years.
  • Yorkshire and the Humber has better ‘machine learning’ and ‘data literacy’ skills compared to the rest of the UK. Yorkshire and the Humber is strongest, in ‘basic IT skills’ (83%), ‘industry/sector expertise’ (76%) and ‘data literacy’ (75%) skills (2023).

Business

  • Effective use of data can benefit businesses, supporting them to become more efficient and grow their market share. In this way data can be a powerful lever in increasing economy productivity and creating jobs. It can also benefit customers, creating competition by making comparison easier and giving newer businesses the opportunity to breakthrough and scale up.
  • Positioning the region as a forerunner of the next wave of innovation through use of data will be attractive to multinational companies to situate or headquarter themselves here. West Yorkshire is recognised as a High Potential Opportunity in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data by the UK Government. Our expertise in data analytics draws a range of world- ranging organisations, including the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, Connected Yorkshire,
  • There is a large disparity in use of data analytics between small and large businesses. In Yorkshire and Humber, only 22% of businesses with fewer than 10 employees are using data analytics, compared to 63% of businesses with more than 250 employees. (FSB 2021)
  • Of the SMEs in West Yorkshire that use data to make business decisions, 59% said that data analytics has helped them to increase sales, 68% said it has helped them to improve customer service, and 64% said it has helped them to reduce costs.

Convening

Operating at regional level gives the Combined Authority the scale and perspective needed to appreciate how complex challenges are interconnected and often mutually reinforcing, and how partners can be convened and enabled to exploit opportunities via a holistic approach.

Place

  • Our extensive, trusted and established partnerships were bedrock on which our devolution deal was established and will continue to drive opportunities for the people and places of the region, creating a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.
  • West Yorkshire is ready to negotiate further devolution of funding and powers. The current system is time consuming and stifles innovation due to siloed, restrictive and competitive funding pots. Devolution will drive efficiencies by reducing and removing government bureaucracy.
  • This will further empower the region, enabling local authorities more freedom to deliver economic growth for their residents. Digital approaches will be a crucial part of that as reflected` in the regional economic strategy.

People and education

  • The digital learning space is complex and dynamic and it is crucial to convene stakeholders and work with partners in the area to ensure West Yorkshire is offering comprehensive and navigable digital skills training for all.
  • There is currently not a single-entry portal that includes all provision from online only providers, state funded colleges and training organisations, universities, and large employers.

Business and organisations

  • A key aspect of unlocking potential in our region is to further develop our partnership with national government and the national and international private sector. These relationships can help shape our regional offer to businesses and organisations.
  • There is not currently a provision map in one location for all digital networks and initiatives for businesses and organisations in West Yorkshire

Glossary and appendix

Glossary

  • 4G/5G – Different levels of cellular networks, with allows for faster data rates and less transmitting delays.
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) – A simulation of human intelligence processes by machines (especially computer systems) to perform cognitive functions.
  • AR (Augmented reality) – an enhanced, interactive version of real-world environment achieved through digital visual elements, sounds and other sensory stimuli.
  • Broadband – Data connection that is able to support interactive services without the use of a telephone line.
  • Climate Emergency – A situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change in hope to avoid irreversible damage to our environment.
  • Connected Places / Smart Cities – Places which use information and communication technologies to increase operational efficiency.
  • Cyber Security – Protection of computer systems and networks from online attacks.
  • Data – Information that has been processed into a format that machines can read and understand.
  • Digital Technologies –Tools, systems and devices that can generate, create, store or process data. Examples include 5G, Artificial Intelligence, and Video Technologies.
  • Digital Transformation – The process of using digital technologies to create or modify business processes to meet changing business and market requirements.
  • FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) – A broadband technology that provides very fast internet speeds. Allows for a fibre-optic cable installed from the street cabinet into your home.
  • Gigabit Capable – broadband that is capable of downloading data at a rate of at least one gigabit person second.
  • Hybrid – A combination of digital and traditional methods.
  • IOT (Internet of Things) – Describes the network of physical objects - 'things' - that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet
  • Phone Service – a company or public utility that provides reception to transmit information.
  • Smartphone – A mobile phone with highly advanced features and can perform many of a computer's functions.
  • VR (Virtual Reality) – Computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear real.

Appendix

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All information correct at time of writing - September 2024.