Foreword

The digital revolution began over 50 years ago. In that time, it has profoundly reshaped our economy, society, and daily lives. Digital is no longer a discrete sector or a bolt-on to existing systems; it is the infrastructure through which modern life flows.

Our young people are spending a third of their waking hours online. Every service, whether public or private, is being transformed by digital technology in how it is produced, delivered, and experienced. 

However, this transformation is not without its challenges. In this world, the best way to thrive is to adapt and continually make leaps into spaces that we can't even imagine now. This is true for individuals, for organisations, and for Gloucestershire.

Our economy has been transformed by digital technology. We are now entering a new phase of the digital revolution, shaped by artificial intelligence, where the pace of change will only accelerate. This is not just another wave of change; we are heading towards a seismic shift where digital technologies need to be embraced. It is essential for those with existing skills and knowledge be given the opportunity to thrive and meet their potential, but equally as important is that we need to ensure that everyone has the basic skills to engage with new technologies created by this advancing digital age.

For our county to prosper, it needs to run at the speed of both the fastest and the slowest. Digital inclusion  and innovation are not side issues; they are central to our economic resilience, our social cohesion, and our democratic strength.

We know that some groups are the most likely to face digital exclusion for example young people not in education or employment or those living in poverty.  This strategy is our commitment to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from digital technology, regardless of their starting point.

Too often, we have allowed ourselves to think of digital in narrow terms, as synonymous with the domain of specialists. But it's wrong to think of it in any box at all. Digital is marketing, manufacturing, service delivery, community engagement; it is everything.  Businesses that fail to embrace digital can fail to harness the power of digital to optimise internal processes and may become increasingly irrelevant to customers who expect to research, experience and buy products and services online.

This strategy is our commitment to embedding that understanding across our county. It is a call to action; to ensure that everything we do, everything we say, is grounded in the reality of a world that is being continuously disrupted by digital advances. If we don't see that thread running through everything we do, we will not continue to thrive.

Introduction