In a wide-ranging BCS webinar focused on Wales, BCS Fellow Tom Crick MBE, Digital Education and Policy Professor at Swansea University and Kanishka Narayan, MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, reflected on the digital upskilling of the workforce, through to industrial transitions and misinformation.
Bridging the Skills Gap
The BCS webinar was moderated by BCS's Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager Claire Penketh. She began by asking what the current level of digital skills were in the Vale of Glamorgan, which was once a major coal exporting hub. Kanishka said the economy had now shifted to a diverse mix of employers including manufacturing (e.g. Dow Chemicals, Aston Martin), defence tech, software startups, and Cardiff Airport. There’s a dual challenge, he said: upskilling the population in basic digital skills while also preparing them for advanced roles: “We’ve got to chase the future and chase it in the context of advanced manufacturing and high quality engineering and prepare for jobs in artificial intelligence as well.”
He stressed the importance not just playing catch-up, and drew parallels with Barry's history as a coal-exporting hub during a period of economic decline.
Kanishka highlighted grassroots efforts to boost digital skills in the Vale of Glamorgan, particularly through the "All Hands on Tech" campaign at Cardiff and Vale College. The strategy is to build engagement first, then guide learners into pathways aligned with emerging job markets, especially in light of rapid technological shifts such as AI.
AI in Education: A Tool, Not a Replacement
Tom said it was important to value the various pathways into a tech career, including apprenticeships. He added “some really impressive work” had been done over the past decade to sort out the curriculum in schools, and around STEM education qualifications more broadly.
As for secondary education he said: "AI will not replace teachers—but it will replace teachers who don't use AI." He argued for a learner-centred, ethical application of AI to address educational disparities, particularly for students with additional learning needs. The focus, he stressed, must remain on human-centred pedagogy, with AI serving as an enabling tool rather than a disruptive force.
Tom, who is also the Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, added: "There must be clear, demonstrable benefit to learners, educators and the system," and he emphasised that ethical safeguards and policy-level reforms must underpin all technological adoption.
He stressed the need for AI literacy—understanding how algorithms and data interact and affect individuals and society. While not everyone needs to become a developer, he said citizens should understand the implications of AI technologies.
In addition AI education shouldn't be siloed within computer science but integrated across subjects. In schools, Wales already embeds digital competence as a statutory skill alongside literacy and numeracy, giving it more prominence than in other UK nations, he added.
Retraining and Industrial Transition: A Community-Centred Approach
Claire posed a provocative question: Can digital retraining really help workers affected by the decline of traditional industries, such as steel?
Kanishka urged sensitivity in these transitions: "Technology won't be the shiny answer for everyone, and we need to start from where people are." However, he noted that modern industrial work is already deeply technological, from precision manufacturing to robotics in agriculture. This presents an opportunity: leveraging existing skills to build new pathways in advanced manufacturing and adjacent sectors.
Kanishka emphasised the priorities set out by both the UK and devolved governments, including those detailed in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which focus on quantifying and addressing the AI skills gap.
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He also stressed the importance of increasing diversity within the tech sector, pointing out only 22% of tech roles in the UK are currently held by women, and highlighting the need to improve participation across a broader range of social backgrounds.
At a constituency level, Kanishka said he is campaigning to build partnerships between employers, educational institutions (both HE and non-HE), accelerators and the community. He argued that by creating locally tailored models of collaboration, there is an opportunity to draw broader lessons about funding and regulatory flexibility that can be applied nationally.
Apprenticeships – learning whilst earning
Claire then turned the discussion towards apprenticeships, referencing a recent BCS report that highlighted how many SMEs find the process of hiring apprentices confusing or overly complex. She asked what could be done to make it easier for smaller companies, particularly in the Vale, to bring apprentices on board, and also raised the issue of apprenticeships being viewed as second-class to traditional degrees, despite offering equivalent qualifications.
Tom responded by acknowledging that the different apprenticeship systems in Wales and England can cause challenges, especially for UK-wide employers, but also argued that Wales' ability to act more quickly and responsively can be a strength. He pointed to the Welsh Government's prioritisation of certain apprenticeship schemes in areas like advanced manufacturing, software engineering, data science and cybersecurity.
However, he recognised that SMEs continue to face barriers, not just with apprenticeships but also in broader workforce development initiatives. He underlined the importance of improving understanding around what skills and capabilities businesses should expect from young people coming through various routes, whether through university, further education or apprenticeships.
Drawing on his experience in qualifications reform, Tom stressed that the divide between academic and technical education is increasingly outdated and unhelpful. He argued that educational and vocational paths are no longer as separate as they once were and that it's possible to design qualifications that are both rigorous and relevant to industry.
He also suggested that Wales has a real opportunity to take a place-based approach, aligning schools, FE, HE and industry to address skills needs in specific regions, with the potential to scale this approach nationally. He concluded that digital and tech roles already exist in significant numbers within the Welsh public sector, particularly in health, but that these roles often lack visibility and need to be better showcased.
Addressing Misinformation and Ensuring Representation
The conversation then turned to the role of AI in amplifying misinformation and the gender disparities within the digital field. Responding to a question in the webinar chat, from computing teacher Steph Westbrook, Tom acknowledged the systemic under-recognition of female voices in tech and academia. Allyship, he stressed, is critical: "We must call out lack of recognition when we see it."
He also highlighted the societal risks posed by misinformation, especially as younger generations increasingly consume news through algorithmic platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Media literacy, he argued, must be part of a wider public education strategy, supported by regulation and transparency.
Closing Reflections: Bridging the Skills Gap
Asked whether Wales can realistically bridge its digital skills gap, both Tom and Kanishka struck an optimistic tone.
Kanishka pointed to the accelerating potential of AI and digital technologies to uplift learners and workers alike, provided the strategy was right. "Let's not treat digital as something external," he said. "We have everything we need—people, talent, institutions. It's about marrying where we are with where we want to go."
Tom echoed this, emphasising collaboration and agility across government, industry, and education. "Wales can be a digital policy and education testbed," he concluded. "There's real opportunity here—if we're bold enough to take it."
