Before we succeed in closing the skills gap in the tech and digital sector, it’s crucial to outline the talent for demand within the subsectors of our industry.
Luckily for us, ADLIB has put together talent and skills snapshots to share and provide sector knowledge specific to the Bristol and Bath regions. Check out their snapshots so far of sectors in the area!
Technology
Starting with an overview, Bristol hosts more than 10,000 technology companies and an internationally renowned and mature tech ecosystem. Mike Harley, Head of Tech at ADLIB, identifies that the predominant clusters that are driving growth in tech are the emerging ones. These include, “AI, robotics, fintech, VR, healthtech, greentech, and creative tech projects, which are springing out of the city’s many incubators and university research projects.”
Higher education establishments, the vast number of tech meetup communities, and the variety of growth capital sources in the South West all contribute to the flourishing talent market in Bristol. Mike predicts that remote working will continue to deepen the talent pool. He adds, “Local developer academies and initiatives that bring cross-trainers and juniors through are also gathering pace to support demand.”
In terms of the skills in demand within tech, Mike says, “AI and automation have been identified as two top trends in the region. There continues to be a huge demand for expertise within Cloud/DevOps, web and software development QA/Test, Cyber Security and more.”
He also identifies there is, “more demand for rounded technical staff with strong client-facing, stakeholder management, and leadership/mentoring skills than ever before.”
Data & Insight
There is an ever-increasing demand for data & insight experts as more companies migrate to the cloud and gradually become data-driven. As the opportunities and advantages become clearer to businesses, their need to recruit professionals who can maximise these becomes prevalent.
Alex Cosgrove, Head of Data Insight & Analytics at ADLIB, says that despite increased competition for talent, the extent to which businesses are using, “advanced cloud data setups and building data science teams have drawn plenty of relocators to the city.”
Alex identifies that after a push for hiring Data Scientists in 2019, 2020 seemed to the year to advocate for Cloud Data Architects and Cloud Data Engineers. He adds, “many companies have researched algorithms and data science models and now need to deploy these into their systems and products. This has meant that Data Engineers have been needed to accomplish this.”
Engineering
Global names such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, GKN Aerospace, and Boeing have resulted in a significant aerospace presence in the South West. Roy Bennett, Head of Engineering, Science & Innovation at ADLIB, explains, “Bristol and Bath has very strong Engineering links within design and manufacturing.”
The strong engineering courses at the four Universities bolsters this connection in the region. Roy says, “the area is abundant with graduates with skills including electronics engineering, mechanical engineering and design, aerospace engineering and physics to name a few.”
He tells us, “there are over 90,000 experienced engineers in the area”, making Bristol and Bath a stellar choice to grow your business with an abundance of talent to choose from.
Following this, Roy says, “Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Marine, Aerospace, Electronics and Hardware Design, Research and Development and Quality Engineering have all been in demand over the past 12 months.”
Thanks to the ADLIB team for sharing their research with us! To find out more about ADLIB, be sure to check out their website, and to keep up with their latest news, give them a follow on Twitter here: @ADLIBRecruit
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