Member Article

Tech talent engine celebrates a year of sucesses

A YEAR after launching, a platform linking employers, education providers and prospective employees is on track to achieve its ambitious targets.

Dynamo, the region’s tech champion, and its partner Sunderland Software City launched the Tech Talent Engine platform to recruit hundreds of people into the North East tech sector last November.

The project is part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority’s (NTCA) £12m Digital Growth and Innovation Programme designed to grow the region’s tech sector.

The Tech Talent Engine has been supported by £380,000 of investment from NTCA, and contributions from key sponsors and supporters that include Opencast, University of Newcastle, Mediaworks, South Tyneside Council, Tombola, NHS Business Services Authority and Cyber North.

The Tech Talent Engine team is led by Jill McKinney, Director of Service Delivery at Sunderland Software City and a Director at Dynamo, who said: “The ambition of the Engine is to link colleges, universities and private education providers with employers and employees.

“The project has been extended to October 2024 by when we’re aiming to get 150 individuals into employment and also provide support to 100 businesses.

“We’ve already helped 75 people into new roles in the region’s tech sector, and we have 600 users without having really promoted the website – a marketing campaign will start in January. Meanwhile, we’ve also worked with more than 50 businesses, often providing them with 1-2-1 support, and helping them to understand their Employer Value Proposition, how to create job descriptions and jobs adverts.

“Our plan for 2024 is also to increase our users to a base of at least 3,000 which we’re confident of achieving.”

To mark the anniversary, a year of Tech Talent Engine Event will take place on Wednesday, January 24 at Newcastle University (5.30pm until 8pm). Members of the Tech Talent Engine Team will be on hand to talk about the project’s success to date, while website users will describe how they’ve found work through the Engine.

Businesses who’ve successfully recruited through the Engine will talk about their experiences and there’ll also be a wider look at the region’s tech recruitment landscape.

Lorna Madden, Head of Talent Engagement at Opencast, said: “Opencast has been committed to the Tech Talent Engine since the very start. To succeed in closing the regional skills gap and grow the tech sector, we know we have to collaborate. We can’t just wait for people to find out about us on their own.

“The engine offers a brilliant resource for people looking for tech careers - not just by sharing links to specific roles, but also helping people understand what work in tech is really like. We look forward to adding to the platform and seeing the engine grow even more in its second year.”

For more information about the event, or to see how the Tech Talent Engine can help your company find the best recruits, or to help you into employment in the sector, go to the tech talent engine website.

Dynamo North East is a business-led organisation with the core mission of ‘Growing the North East tech economy through collaboration, innovation, skills and noise.’ With more than 160 members, it is made up of IT organisations, large corporate employers in the region, consultants, technology hubs, education providers, local government and suppliers to the industry.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hoults Yard .