The UK government has announced its strategy to market the country’s information technology and communications industries abroad.

Minister for Trade and Investment Digby Jones revealed that a board of executives and luminaries from the field will be set up to decide how the UK’s technology industry should be promoted to foreign investors.

Jones said the ICT industry contributes 6.6% of the UK’s gross domestic product, and that it employs more than one million people.

"It is no coincidence that many ICT firms have their European HQ as well as their research and development operation based here,” he said. “Our highly skilled workforce and R&D tax credits are huge incentives for choosing the UK.”

Jones added that the establishment of the marketing strategy revealed the government’s commitment to the technology sector. However, the move can also be seen as attempt to undo some of the bad press UK IT has received. High-profile failures among government IT projects and a perception that IT is an uninteresting career choice have contributed to an IT skills shortage in the UK, a factor that may well deter foreign investors.

Further reading

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