Manchester Digital held its annual Digital Skills Festival this week, and our UK Marketing Director Neil Jenkinson rocked up to see what all the fuss was about.   

Manchester Digital is designed to bring together tech and digital businesses with new recruits, graduates, apprentices, and career changers. At first glance, it’s merely a recruitment forum, but dig deeper, and one can discover a business incubator that can mean the difference between success and failure. Held across five days, the festival provides various opportunities for digital and tech businesses, educational institutions, and future tech talent to get involved. 

 So here are the 5 things he learned from hob-knobbing with delegates.   

 The sector needs more women.  

There’s a growing need for more women in technology and digital now and in the future. The UK is behind the curve; in the world’s largest tech companies, female tech positions are growing 238% faster than male. They add a new perspective and fresh insights and generally improve gender representation, diversity, and inclusivity in the workplace.   

Skills for Growth has funding.   

There are a range of fully funded training opportunities for all businesses in the UK. These offer training in Leadership, Project Management, and Digital Transformation.   

Nurturing talent saves money.   

Most businesses understand that recruitment is expensive, but the reality is that more investment is needed if an employee leaves. The vast majority of digitally skilled workers will leave a business in 2022 due to a lack of training, support, and development.   

Cyber Security Rules   

Chatting to business owners about their fears for 2023, Cyber Crime was on everyone’s agenda. Seems that hacking, scamming, and digital identity theft really are growing, and organized crime is a threat that needs addressing.   

Manchester is the new London.  

OK, that may seem an exaggeration, but there’s no doubt that the city and the Greater Manchester region are a Northern Powerhouse for the digital and tech sector. There’s tonnes of investment, an abundance of talent, and innovation on every corner.  

Visit https://bluebirdits.co.uk/ or call us on 01494 473761 for more information.