GM Mayor calls for Northern tech businesses to do digital differently

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has called on tech businesses in the North to collaborate on closing the digital skills gap in order to build on the region’s success in the sector.

Mr Burnham made the comments during a rousing keynote speech at the close of Manchester Tech Week 2022. He remarked on the success story for the sector in Greater Manchester and the North. Tech is currently a £5 billion economy and is aiming to be at £10 billion by the end of the decade; Greater Manchester is also among the fastest growing digital hubs in Europe.

Andy Burnham also commented on how the city-region’s creative and digital economy had grown since the 1990s, through the development of MediaCityUK and BBC relocation to Salford, as well as more recent progress including eGaming with AI and the Digital Security Innovation Hub set up in Manchester city centre by GCHQ.

Talking of what’s required in terms of digital infrastructure, Andy Burnham flagged the challenge of tackling the talent and skills gap:

“Our education system is not yet aligned with the vision. All of our young people should get a good grounding in digital skills with future employability in mind.

”[Businesses] are going to have to collaborate to bring through talent to ensure this success story does not falter.”

Burnham also called on businesses to post jobs on GMACS Greater Manchester Apprenticeship & Careers Service, a UCAS-style system for apprenticeships to give young people a window on the modern economy. Proposed devolution of post-16 education to the city-region also offers an opportunity for the Mayor’s office to improve access to digital skills.

Speaking on digital inclusion, Burnham challenged businesses to think beyond their own operations and ask if we are building a true digital community where all residents are online. Initiatives like the Greater Manchester Tech Fund play into delivering on this mission and Burnham referred to the need to create Data Banks and called on businesses to donate. Concluding he said:

“This is a city with a heart and soul which thinks about everyone together. If that is you, I invite you on the journey. We led the world through the industrial revolution and we can certainly lead it through the digital one.”

James McGough, Managing Director at Imago TechMedia, organisers of Manchester Tech Week, said Andy Burnham had underlined all the reasons for bringing the leading show to the North and had ended the week on a massive high:

“We want to play our full part in delivering the ambitions shared by Andy today not just around economic success but what tech can do to bridge digital divides and achieve much wider societal goals. We can’t wait to do more.”