Digital Futures Cornwall urges businesses to Power Up Their People

Businesses are being urged to Power Up Your People and invest in team development in 2026 by Digital Futures Cornwall.

The Digital Futures Cornwall partnership, led by Truro and Penwith College, has launched two interactive tools to help businesses plan their CPD and get digital ready for the year ahead.

The first is a digital scorecard which helps businesses identify skills gaps and improve their digital readiness for resilience and growth. The 5-minute questionnaire delivers a tailored result for each business with recommendations for next steps in building a CPD plan, plus signposting to extra business support.

The second tool is an online dashboard built in Microsoft Power BI which offers an at-a-glance overview of the potential return on investment for businesses budgeting for workforce development.

The tools have launched as part of the Power Up Your People campaign to urge employers to make strategic decisions about upskilling and investing in their team – against a backdrop of diminishing funding available to Cornwall.

Jenny Gramnes, SPF Contract Manager at Truro & Penwith College, which delivers Digital Futures Cornwall, said: “The landscape of support for businesses to access funded staff development is dramatically changing in 2026.

“Time is running out to access free or low-cost training under schemes such as the Shared Prosperity Fund, which ends its funding cycle on 31 March 2026. Going forward, it will become even more important for businesses to plan ahead for what their training needs might be, and to ensure that enough budget has been set aside for staff development.”

“We wanted to develop some tools to support businesses with their resource planning. They are fun and interactive but also lead to opportunities to work with Digital Futures Cornwall and the Growth Hub to cement staff development as part of their strategy for success.”

The tools were co-created with members of the Digital Futures Cornwall partnership, including Cornwall Council, Tech Cornwall and Truro & Penwith College.

The campaign also features case studies from businesses that have benefited from training with Digital Futures Cornwall – including 108 Coffee in Truro.

Charlie and Dava Wilson saw their best month yet in October 2025 in five years of running their high street business, after completing digital marketing training with Truro and Penwith College.

Charlie said: “Digital Futures Cornwall has been a huge help to us. I would encourage any business in Cornwall to Power Up their People and get involved.”

Bethany Allen, Business Support Manager at Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub, said: “Alongside trying out these interactive tools, we would encourage any business who is considering how to get the best from their people in 2026 to get in touch with the Growth Hub.

“We have expert Business Connectors on hand to help identify the skills you need now, and in the future, and can introduce you to the right support, at the right time for your business.”

To try out the new tools, go to: https://www.digitalfuturescornwall.co.uk/about/power-up-your-people/

Further training is available during March to support help Cornwall's businesses harness the power of AI and digital tools.

Delivered by Digital Peninsula Network, the workshops cover AI & Search Engine Optimisation, Instagram & YouTube and AI for Marketing. These 2-hour sessions deliver practical, hands-on training that will transform how participants create content, optimise their online presence, and leverage social media.

• AI & Search Engine Optimisation online workshop – 2 March:

 https://www.digitalpeninsula.org/webinar-ai-and-seo

• AI for Marketing online workshop – 16 March: https://www.digitalpeninsula.org/booking-now-webinar-ai-marketing
• Instagram & YouTube online workshop – 19 March: https://www.digitalpeninsula.org/webinar_instagram_and_youtube

Digital Futures Cornwall is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and led by Truro and Penwith College. This project has received £1,574,740

https://www.digitalfuturescornwall.co.uk