The Digital Skills Festival 2023 brought together some of the North West’s leading tech businesses with educators and future tech talent for a packed week of activities across Greater Manchester.
This year’s edition of the festival took place between Monday, February 6 and Friday, February 10 at various locations across the city and online.
We’d like to thank all of our sponsors throughout the week, without whom the Skills Festival would not have been possible: Auto Trader, Manchester City Council, Atkins, Bentley Motors, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, Raytheon UK, GlobalLogic UK, Zühlke Group, hackajob, The University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University and Bruntwood SciTech.
Keep reading for a recap of what happened across the week…
Manchester Digital's MD Katie Gallagher at the 2023 Skills Festival Conference
Monday
The week began with our annual Digital Skills Festival Conference, which took place at No.1 Circle Square and featured a variety of talks, panels and the unveiling of this year’s Digital Skills Audit.
Mancheter Alison Ross presenting this year's Skills Audit
Manchester Digital board members Alison Ross (Auto Trader) and Tom Amies-Cull (Dentsu International) presented the findings from this year’s audit, with headline stats including:
- 71% of businesses believe developers will be key to their growth over the next 3 years
- 49% of businesses report the lack of experienced and quality talent as the biggest productivity challenge
- Half of businesses feel their workforce is more diverse than it was 12 months ago
- 63% of businesses are supporting staff with the cost of living crisis
- 78% of businesses have adopted hybrid working
You can download your copy of the 2023 Audit here.
Tom Amies-Cull presenting findings from this year's Skills Audit
The afternoon also saw Sarah Brooks Pearce and Caroline Atherton, from headline sponsor Auto Trader, sharing insights on how they go about unlocking early careers, with highlights including:
- By opening up entry level requirements, Auto Trader are seeing more progression from diverse talent
- 100% of Early Careers colleagues say they are proud to work there
- 42 skilled developers have come through their early career programmes since 2018
Auto Trader's Sarah Brooks Pearce and Caroline Atherton
Our first panel of the afternoon was chaired by TheBusinessDesk’s Michael Taylor, who was joined by Helen Embleton (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport), Sean Allen (The Very Group), Andrew Barclay (GlobalLogic UK) and Dr Lucy Walker (Manchester Metropolitan University), as they took questions from the audience.
Question Time panel with L-R: Michael Taylor, Helen Embleton, Sean Allen, Andrew Barclay, Dr Lucy Walker
Some of the highlights of the panel included:
- Sean Allen on the future of work: "Employers need to look at balance and make sure everyone has the digital skills to make hybrid work. Office time should be about collaboration and the in-person experience. The more flexibility you give, the broader your talent pool."
- Helen Embleton on diversity & women in tech: "Lots of employers, charities and schemes are taking great strides to encourage more women into tech careers, but we need to make sure that we're also improving the environment and making the sector more inclusive."
- Andrew Barclay: "For GlobalLogic, we trained up mental health workers, which was particularly useful during the pandemic with so many young, perhaps single, workers throughout the business. You can always do more, but we’ve tried to carry that approach on post-pandemic."
- Dr Lucy Walker on how businesses can support workers' wellbeing: "It's all about the workplace and creating an inclusive environment, making things such as discussing mental health the social norm within the group - this has to happen on organisational level."
Sean Allen with Andrew Barclay and Dr Lucy Walker
Later in the afternoon, Sherelle Fairweather (Manchester City Council) chaired a panel discussion on how we protect the sector's growth and continue to address the skills gap through a cost of living crisis, as she was joined by Phil Kell (hackajob), Beth Hewitt (University of Salford) and John Batterbee (Atkins).
Cost of Living panel with L-R: Sherelle Fairweather, Phil Kell, Beth Hewitt, John Batterbee
Some of the highlights of the panel included:
- John Batterbee on how employers can understand employees needs: "You need to listen to the workforce and understand their needs, not treating them as one single entity. Don’t group all of your workers together, but try to meet everybody’s needs."
- Beth Hewitt on the cost of living crisis' impact on diversifying the talent pipeline: "It's a concern, and everybody needs to be aware of the issue. Academia and further education need to work with employers at all stages of the process."
- Phil Kell on employee benefits: "We’re letting our employees tailor their benefits packages, choosing what is available to them. It’s a principle we’re trying to apply to all aspects of the business and not taking a one size fits all approach.”
L-R: Sherelle Fairweather, Phil Kell, Beth Hewitt, John Batterbee
Rounding off the afternoon’s sessions, Applied Futurist Tom Cheesewright delivered a keynote speech, as he discussed “New spaces, new skills, new opportunities” with our delegates, with some key insights including:
- The digital world will become more noisy and less trustworthy
- The digital world will expand into three dimensions and beyond the atmosphere
- It will get harder to reach an audience, even while we crave human connection
Applied Futurist Tom Cheesewright delivers his keynote presentation
Tuesday
On Tuesday, we delivered our Digital Apprenticeship Day in association with National Apprenticeship Week, as we put apprenticeships firmly in the spotlight and provided valuable information for both businesses interested in taking on apprentices and future apprentices themselves.
Digital Apprenticeship Day marketplace at No.1 Circle Square
The morning’s breakfast briefing was aimed at businesses who were either considering taking on an apprentice or just wanted to find out more information, and was delivered virtually. As well as providing an introduction into the apprenticeships landscape, options and support available, attendees also heard from employers who currently invest in apprenticeships.
In the afternoon, we returned to No.1 Circle Square for sessions aimed at individuals considering apprenticeships as a pathway into their tech career. The event included a marketplace, where attendees could talk directly to various businesses who hire apprentices, speed networking with current apprentices, and sessions and workshops ran by Bentley Motors and Atkins.
GlobalLogic exhibiting as part of our Digital Apprenticeship Day
Meanwhile on Tuesday, business leaders came together with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester City Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to share knowledge and experiences around early tech talent and digital skills, as we hosted a round table discussion. Manchester Digital’s MD Katie Gallagher led the session, whilst Paul Scully MP joined by video call. Read a full roundup of this session here.
Business leaders and other guests from across Greater Manchester gather at our round table discussion
Wednesday
Wednesday saw the return of Talent Day, the largest digital and tech careers fair in the North, as 1,800 students, graduates, career changers and early career jobseekers joined us at etc.venues Manchester alongside 40 of the region’s leading employers.
Talent Day
We know how much businesses value this opportunity to talk directly to future talent, and we hope that the day will lead to many successful hires over the coming months.
Alongside the opportunity to talk to local businesses, attendees were also able to join sessions run by the likes of Auto Trader, Raytheon, GlobalLogic and Atkins, and sign up to attend our CV clinic for advice and guidance on how to best present themselves to potential employers.
The CV Clinic at Talent Day
Thursday/Friday
Across the final two days of the festival, we hosted a series of interactive virtual professional development workshops, led by event sponsors and aimed at professionals working across the sector looking to upskill and learn from their peers, and also connected our sponsors with local schools and colleges to run Industry Insights sessions.
Professional development sessions included:
- “What is Product Design” with Auto Trader
- “Data Engineering with Azure Cloud” with Zühlke
- “Cyber Training with Gaming Intergration” with Atkins
- “What is Product Engineering” with GlobalLogic
- “How Professional Software is created” with Raytheon
- “Ethical Data: from abstracts to action” with Manchester City Council
- “Find your Digital Doorway” with BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
Meanwhile, some of our festival sponsors ran sessions at Greater Manchester schools and colleges, providing valuable insights about careers in tech and interactive activities. These included:
- Zühlke provided insights on the digital industry at North Chadderton School, Oldham
- Raytheon ran an introduction to HTML session at Cedar Mount Academy, Gorton
- University of Salford ran an online session for Trafford College students about the games and creative industries
- Auto Trader hosted Oldham College students for a session on product design
- BAE Systems Digital Intelligence went to Parrs Wood High School, Didsbury, to run an interactive session on cyber security
- Atkins ran an cyber security escape room at Trinity Church of England High School, Hulme
- GlobalLogic visited Alder Community High School, Hyde for a session focused on product engineering.
Students at Cedar Mount Academy taking part in an Industry Insights session
Get involved with 2024’s Festival
If you would like to discuss sponsorship of our 2024 Skills Festival or taking an exhibition stand at next year's Talent Day, please email kate.wilson@86899805.com.
Want to be involved next year but not a Manchester Digital member? Download a membership brochure to find out about all of the benefits of membership.
