In April 2008, one sees the start of the consultation on the second phase of the government's e-strategy for education, published in 2005 as "Harnessing technology: transforming learning and children's services." This follows hard on the heels of the progress report and implementation plan for the technology strategy for further education (FE) and skills ("Harnessing Technology for Further Education, Skills and Regeneration," Becta 2008), which details the work being done to develop the strategy for the FE and skills sector. In this article, the authors look at how the new ambitions for the system-wide strategy have been developed and at new concerns arising from recent government policies. They consider the implications of the new strategy and examine data from recent studies.