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Fund launched to address digital skills crisis

Creative England and Nominet Trust have launched a £1m fund to support new and established small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to close the digital skills gap for young people.
iAMDigital Fund has been designed to provide investment and support to address the digital skills gap, identified by the House of Commons Science and Tech Select Committee in June. It found that the UK will need 745,000 additional workers with digital skills to meet rising demand from employers by 2017, equating to a crisis that is costing the UK £63bn a year.
Mehjabeen Patrick, chief financial officer of Creative England, said: “iAMDigital is looking to invest in creative and talented early stage or established social businesses, with a strong dedication to social impact. We’re particularly interested in companies with growth potential, ambitious and experienced management teams, and a scalable digital proposition.”
She added: “Some of these social enterprises may come through Nominet Trust’s existing Social Tech Seed fund, or Creative England’s existing investment portfolio, but we’re extremely excited to identify and develop new businesses as part of the programme.”  Read more