Skills whitepaper launched to help Scotland overcome skills gaps and become a thriving data-powered economy.
The Data Lab, Scotland’s data and AI innovation centre, has today launched a new whitepaper, ‘Data and AI Skills in Scotland: Closing the Gap for a Promising Economic Future’. The report outlines research findings and recommendations on closing the data and AI skills gap, crucial for strengthening the country’s economy.
Building on Scotland’s innovation heritage
Improving data and AI literacy is forecast to boost Scotland’s GDP significantly. A recent PWC report estimates that the impact of AI on Scotland’s GDP could be as much as £16.7bn (8.4% of GDP) by 2030. Data-driven insights are crucial for competitive edge, especially in Scotland’s leading financial services, public health, and renewable energy sectors.
Scotland has a strong heritage in innovation, and programmes like the Data Driven Innovation (DDI) initiative are driving Edinburgh’s ambition to become the data capital of Europe. Investments through City Region Deals across the country are creating jobs and fostering inclusive growth, aligning with national strategies on AI and automation. However, recent research by The Data Lab and YouGov reveals a pressing need to enhance data and AI literacy across Scotland.
Data and AI literacy fall short of demand
Featuring over 500 business leaders from across the private, public, third and education sectors in Scotland, their findings indicate that over half of businesses rate their data and AI literacy as moderate to low. Skills in high demand include data analysis, cybersecurity, and machine learning.
Anna Ashton-Scott, Head of Skills at The Data Lab, said:
“Data and AI skills are fundamental to workforce development. However, our latest research shows that data literacy levels fall short of both current and future demand. Addressing current literacy and skills gaps is urgent for Scotland’s economy and society,”
“We’ve worked with local businesses to create a skills framework that identifies key skills gaps at each level of data literacy. Additionally, we mapped relevant training to the framework to help learners find the right training for them. Endorsing our approach to enhancing data and AI skills, the Innovate UK-funded Bridge AI programme has adopted the Data Skills for Work data personas for its AI Skills for Business Competency Framework. Our data and AI whitepaper builds on this work, offering evidence-based recommendations to close the skills gaps in Scotland.”
Key barriers to training include insufficient time, budget, and access to tailored programmes. In response, the white paper recommends sector-specific training, blended learning models, and increased funding to drive sustainable growth and adaptability in a rapidly evolving technological environment.
For information about the framework and white paper on data and AI skills in Scotland visit: