A University of Dundee forum will champion the city as a hub for Scotland’s flourishing tech industry.
Employers, skills providers and politicians will come together on April 30 for the inaugural Employers Technology Forum.
Hosted by the University’s Graduate Apprenticeships team, the symposium aims to connect key players within the sector, including the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, Kate Forbes.
With a view to establishing Dundee and the surrounding regions as a leading location for cutting edge companies, Kirsty Scott, the University’s Industrial Liaison Officer, said that collaboration is crucial to fulfil such an ambition.
“The technology sector is experiencing considerable growth within Scotland and Dundee is at the heart of that progress,” she said.
“To maintain that momentum there is a need to bring together employers, educational institutions such as ourselves, and politicians, to ensure that we are striving towards the same goals.
“Technology industries have to plan ahead, but knowing what to focus their resources on can be hard to predict. That is why bringing stakeholders together can be so productive, as it allows everybody to state what challenges they are facing and what can be done to address them, whether it is the need to address a skills gap within the workforce or an infrastructure issue that is preventing growth and development.”
Also appearing on stage at Dundee’s Apex Hotel will be a host of industry and academic experts, with representatives from ScotlandIS, Banntech Ltd, SCDI, the Scottish Government, and further and higher education establishments fielding questions.
Currently the technology sector employs more than 70,000 people in Scotland, with employers ranging from small start-ups to global corporations.
Kirsty added, “Technology events such as this tend to take place in the Central Belt, so hosting our symposium will help to highlight the wealth of skills and facilities in Dundee. There are a lot of exciting developments happening here, and by welcoming businesses from across the local area we can help to share some of these success stories.
“But this will not just be a talking shop. We want this event to identify some real objectives that everybody can work towards and ensure that Scotland’s technology sector will continue to thrive.”
The Employers Technology Forum 2019 takes place from 9.30am-1pm on Tuesday 30 April at the Apex Hotel, Dundee.