In order for the UK to maintain its position as a highly productive, world-beating, knowledge-based economy, we will need a plentiful supply of workers with specialist skills in IT, electronics and communications technologies (ITEC).

In the White Paper "Opportunity for All in a World of Change", published in February 2001, the Government set out its ambition to make the UK the number one country for the supply of advanced ICT and related skills, including actions to increase the supply of qualified people through further and higher education, support for unemployed people to get into ICT employment and to tackle the severe under-representation of women in ICT.

The 2002 UK Online Annual Report (November 2002) sets out further actions DTI is taking to address business demand for specialist ITEC including work to improve awareness and demand amongst employers for ICT and e-business training and workforce development.