According to PANews, UK Parliament members are unanimously calling on the government to invest in developing skills that match the employment needs of the cryptocurrency, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) industries. Lisa Cameron, the Parliament member who chaired the debate on this topic on Tuesday, urged the government to ensure digital skills are taught from an early stage of education and even in the workplace. 'Despite the UK's advantageous position in seizing the opportunities brought by the growth of the digital economy, a lot of preparation and investment in education, training, and skills are still needed to fully utilize these opportunities and ensure that the UK has the necessary talent pool to help it achieve its goal of becoming a technology powerhouse,' Cameron said.
The UK government has expressed its desire to make the country a hub for cryptocurrency. So far, it has legislated to recognize cryptocurrency as a regulated activity, and secondary legislation on stablecoins and other cryptocurrency activities is being developed. However, Cameron believes more work needs to be done. In conversations with digital industry employers, she found that 'they can't find the talent they need' is a problem. Cameron also called for broader cooperation with blockchain companies like Ripple, stablecoin issuers Circle and Tether, which respectively launched blockchain research programs for universities in 2018, established partnerships with academic institutions, and launched educational programs this year.
In response, UK Skills Minister Luke Hall said, 'We know there is a digital skills gap that needs to be addressed. This gap is estimated to cause a loss of 63 billion pounds ($79 billion) to the UK economy every year.'