Undoubtedly, we live in a world where most of us cannot even function without our phones, tablets, laptops or PCs. I will admit I am not the most IT-savvy person on the planet, but I do know that the world is progressing at such a rapid speed and pace that we all here in Wales must keep up with it. Are we really doing it? You may remember that one of the arguments put forward in favour of devolution in the late 1990s was that Welsh interests were being neglected. Supporters of devolution claimed that this was reflected in the relative failure of the Welsh economy. They claimed Wales had too much reliance on the public sector for jobs, higher unemployment and a less skilled workforce than in the rest of the United Kingdom. These economic problems, we were told, could only be solved by tailor-made solutions created here in Wales. Today, after 20 years of devolution, it saddens me to say that Wales still has the weakest economy in the United Kingdom. Workers in Wales have the lowest weekly wages and unemployment remains above the UK average. And Wales has a serious skills gap.

Fifty-five years ago, the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, reflected on the pace of technological change and its implications for industry. He warned that, if the country was to prosper, a new Britain would need to be forged in the white heat of a scientific revolution. That is true of Wales today. We need to kick-start the economy by addressing the barriers to growth. The growing skills gap, particularly in the field of digital skills, is hindering the ability of companies to find the workers they need to develop.

As the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce said:

'Labour and skills shortages are set to be the biggest potential drag anchor on business in 2018, since ultimately it is people that make businesses work.' 

The Barclays digital development index 2017, which analysed 88,000 UK job adverts and 6,000 adults, claims that Welsh employees score among the lowest of all UK regions for their digital skills. This is important because Welsh employers are willing to pay a premium for workers with word processing, data analysis and social media capabilities. People’s level of digital prowess is fast becoming a key determinant of their earning power. According to Barclays bank, having digital skills can add more than £11,500 a year to your potential earnings in Wales. The internet has massively levelled the business playing field, particularly in terms of a company’s ability to reach their audience or market. It has also dramatically lowered the bar for entry to business so that, for many new businesses, their website is both their point of engagement and their point of sale.

I very much welcome our Prime Minister’s announcement of a digital initiative aimed at solving the digital skills shortage. The £40 million Institute of Coding is a partnership deal with leading tech firms, universities and industry bodies in an effort to bolster future digital skills in this country. The consortium is made up of more than 60 universities, businesses and industry experts. Employers will have a tangible input to the curriculum, working hand in hand with universities to develop specialist skills in areas where they are needed most. I am delighted that the Welsh Government has agreed to work in co-operation with Westminster by confirming that Swansea and Cardiff universities are to receive funding to expand coding in schools, colleges and communities.

Education is pivotal in ensuring we have the skills to get by in our digital lives, but the fact is that they are changing so fast that educators are struggling to keep up. Skills are changing faster than formal education providers can keep up. The industry is developing at such a rate that by the time the curriculum is crafted and approved by the various bodies and students finally graduate, you can be talking of almost a decade from start to finish.

We need a coherent and long-term commitment from the Welsh Government for 'digital Wales', from skills to infrastructure. However, Estyn say pupils' progress in digital skills has not kept pace with technology. They claim opportunities to develop ICT skills across subjects are limited in many secondary schools and in a third of primary schools. In just under two thirds of primary schools, there are important shortcomings in standards of ICT. I must admit, although most people are confident in using programmes such as those for word processing and creating presentations, their skills are often limited to a narrow range of applications. One of many concerns is that Welsh Government is failing to promote the benefits that apprenticeships can bring to students at an early stage.

Careers information in schools about apprenticeships is vital if we are to increase the supply of trained workers our economy desperately needs. There are currently issues with the quality and availability of careers advice, including the lack of trained careers advisors and the lack of knowledge of apprenticeships and vocational training by school staff. Schools also exhibit a tendency to encourage pupils towards study of A-levels rather than apprenticeships.

Further education and work-based learning organisations need greater access to schools to broaden the range of advice young people receive about their future careers. I am confident that this will go some way to tackling the worrying gender imbalance and under-representation of disabled people that we currently see in apprenticeships in Wales.

Deputy Presiding Officer, Wales needs to face the challenges and grab the opportunities presented by the modern global economy. At Google, whenever they plan on making an ambitious leap into a new product or service, they call it a 'moonshot'. You have all probably heard of that saying—'If you aim for the moon, you’ll at least land amongst the stars.' I think we need to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds, from all across Wales, to have the courage to aim for the moon and take their very own 'moonshots'. 

Deputy Presiding Officer, digital skills are our future, whether you work in health, education, transport—any department. Only within the last 20 years—just 20 years—digital development in all walks of life has changed the civilisation of the global economy, global industry, global—. Every walk of life is digital, digital, digital. So, we must get certain areas, whether they're strategical, informational, instrumental, or digital skills—we need other skills, and we need to train our children to make sure they're not lagging behind because the nation—. We have no shortage of money for education here, so if we have to develop our economy and the best future for our children and our generations, we must strongly emphasise and give them full support to get their digital skills fully covered in our curriculum. Thank you very much.