Member Article

Largest digital skills event in the North returns to support businesses and emerging talent

The annual Digital Skills Festival, the only event of its kind in the North, returns to Manchester next month, and businesses and students are encouraged to attend.

The four-day event, organised by digital trade association, Manchester Digital, will run from 9-12 February 2016 in various locations across the city centre. The event aims to support digital professionals and businesses and encourages emerging talent to stay in the region.

The Digital Skills conference - taking place on the second day of the festival on 9 February from 10am to 430pm at Manchester Town Hall - brings together professionals and educators. Last year saw 180 attendees come together to discuss issues such as how digital is taught in schools, diversity and wage inflation.

The Talent Day – held on 10 February from 11am-3:30pm for students wanting to break into the industry, and businesses looking for fresh talent - offers workshops, seminars, and panel discussions. Last year saw over 1,200 students attend and over 100 jobs were on offer. This year will see the likes of On the Beach, Rentalcars.com, Autotrader and the BBC return as well as businesses attending for the first time such as The LAD Bible and Laterooms.

The results of the annual digital skills audit will also be revealed at the beginning of the conference. This will follow the findings of 2015 that discovered 80 per cent of businesses grew in the previous 12 months but over half (62%) had to turn away work as a result of being unable to find the right talent, and for 26 per cent of these businesses this work was worth more than £50,000. This year the audit unveils what digital businesses in the North have experienced over the past 12 months, to see whether the industry has changed.

Katie Gallagher, managing director at Manchester Digital, said: “The North West digital industry has really boomed in the last 18 months but unfortunately demand for skilled professionals is outstripping supply. Recruitment is notoriously difficult, and the Digital Skills Festival is key in addressing these issues and providing a platform for discussion and to develop viable solutions.

“Our skills audit reveals factors each year that influence our agenda for the year to come and this year will see the launch of some exciting initiatives including the relaunch of our Employer’s Forum which will be looking at issues such as salary benchmarking and best practice in recruitment.

“The festival is a key event for anyone involved in digital, from education providers wanting to understand the needs of businesses, to students looking for their first step up, and digital companies searching for emerging talent. There’s something for everyone and we are, as always, looking forward to another great event.”

Digital businesses of all sizes and education providers are encouraged to attend the conference to take part in discussions about the issues shaping them and the industry at the moment.

To register for the event or to find out more information please visit: https://www.manchesterdigital.com/events/digital-skills-festival-2016

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Deeny .