TechWM Outlines plans for the future of regional tech growth
By East VIllage
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Quick Read: The 3rd Annual West Midlands Tech Review launches plan for the future of regional growth including ground-breaking £1 million investment across key sectors, the launch of a new brand narrative and unveil of the Digital Economy Playbook.
With over 300 tech leaders in attendance, today the West Midlands Tech Review revealed an impressive list of ambitious projects, investments, and partnerships designed to take the promising region to the next level. Delivered to an audience of founders, CEOs, investors, public sector officials, and government representatives, annual event by Tech West Midlands (TechWM) laid the foundations for the region’s tech future.
Returning for the third year, the event saw insights and trend forecasting shared by leaders in the region’s tech industry, including Prof. Prashant Pillai MBE, Managing Director of Cyber Quarter and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange for the University of Wolverhampton; Martin Ward, West Midlands Tech Commissioner; Yiannis Maos MBE, CEO of TechWM; Janet Coyle CBE, Managing Director, Grow London, London & Partners; Paul Faulkner, Chairman for Sport Birmingham; and Simon Walsh, CEO of OneAdvanced Software.

Pledging a boost for tech’s future in the region, a raft of announcements were made to support start-ups, scale-ups, and established large businesses, in an effort to further enhance the West Midlands tech ecosystem.
TechWM kicked off proceedings, debuting a dynamic new digital narrative and digital economy playbook, to map the future of the region and present a pathway to help wider regions to elevate their tech and business ecosystems.
The details of a ground-breaking £1 million investment across key sectors were also shared, including:

- £200k to ‘Investor Engagement’, seeing RBC Brewin Dolphin connect investor ready tech businesses with investors.

- £200k to ‘Green Tech Innovation Challenge’, enabling Plug & Play to provide support for businesses facing challenges around sustainability, net-zero, and circular
economies.

- £160k to ‘AI Centre of Excellence’, allowing AND Digital to help manufacturers
digitally transform and implement AI solutions.

- £140k to the ‘Digital Skills Consortium’ project to shape digital skills training and help tech businesses attract and acquire new talent.
- £300k to the ‘Tech Connect’ project, which will see the gap between the tech sector and the wider business community bridged, so more people can navigate the ecosystem and get access to relevant insight, initiatives, and opportunities. This includes a brand-new physical hub and tech platform.

On the financial pledges made at the West Midlands Tech Review, Yiannis Maos MBE, CEO of TechWM, said:
“This landmark £1 million investment in the region’s tech sector is going to move the dial for businesses in the ecosystem and beyond. I’m tremendously proud of the commitment that has been made by TechWM and our partners to these ambitious, but crucially needed, initiatives. Each of the five projects will take us a step closer to our aim of being recognised as a global tech superpower; cementing the West Midlands’ reputation as the one-to-watch worldwide.”
The Tech Review also spotlighted a number of newly launched Special Interest Groups designed to elevate awareness, funding, and access, for a range of key focus areas of the growing tech ecosystem including Women in Tech, ESG, and AI.
Tech West Midlands announcements included a number of exciting partnerships and patronages to bolster their work across the region. Among the announcements was a partnership with techUK to amplify the regional tech sector, address key challenges, and build a pathway to joining the renowned trade association.
What's new

The State of the West Midlands Digital Skills Ecosystem

Digital skill shortages could have cost the UK £4.4 billion last year alone, with projections escalating to a staggering £27.6 billion by 2030. The West Midlands, in particular, is experiencing increasing demand for intermediate and advanced digital skills - as stated by a recent research from the University of Birmingham’s City-Regional Economic Development Institute (City-REDI). 
While these figures are alarming, they are not surprising. Addressing digital skills shortages in our region represents a significant economic opportunity. With the right interventions, we have the potential to unlock unprecedented growth. 
Nearly five months into my role as Director of Digital Skills and Commercial Impact at TechWM, I’ve had countless conversations with organisations across various sectors. My goal? To understand their immediate and long-term digital skills needs—and, more importantly, why there remains such a stark mismatch between digital skills supply and demand in the West Midlands.
Photo: Victoria Pargetter-Garner, Director - Digital Skills & Commercial Impact
Shifting Perspectives on the Digital Skills Gap
Initially, I assumed that this challenge was primarily supply-side: a lack of skilled individuals entering the workforce. However, after deeper exploration, I’ve uncovered significant demand-side barriers that are preventing businesses from fully leveraging digital talent.
Let’s rewind to 2020, when the pandemic forced businesses to adopt digital tools overnight. At that time, the focus was on up-skilling the workforce to ensure employees could use essential platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. There was also a surge in demand for advanced technical skills in areas such as cybersecurity, data analytics, and AI.
Since then, numerous policy interventions have aimed to boost digital skills. However, these initiatives have often been fragmented, poorly promoted, and disconnected from the businesses that could benefit the most.
The Business Reality: Short-Term Pressures Stalling Long-Term Growth
Today, while the supply of digital talent is improving, external factors such as economic uncertainty and budget constraints are forcing businesses into survival mode. Many organisations, instead of planning for the next three to five years, are focused on making it through the next quarter.
This short-term approach limits investment in digital transformation. Businesses are firefighting rather than strategising—missing out on opportunities to implement AI, automation, and other digital efficiencies that could drive productivity and profitability. Ironically, the very investments that could help businesses cut costs and gain a competitive edge are being delayed due to perceived financial and time constraints.
Photo: Yiannis Maos MBE, Richard Bovey, Victoria Pargetter-Garner, Mayor Richard Parker, Vikki Bradney-Spencer, Mike Lattimer, Lauren Monks, David Gaughan
The Disconnect Between Employers and Digital Talent
We know that businesses are struggling to find the right digital talent. Yet, paradoxically, we also know that many skilled individuals—particularly those completing digital skills bootcamps—are struggling to secure relevant employment.
So, what’s going wrong?
1. Do employers simply not know about available training initiatives?
2. Are businesses hesitant to onboard talent that lacks real-world experience?
3. Is it a case of limited resources, where employers can’t afford to train new hires?
Similarly, we see a significant underutilisation of free or heavily subsidised upskilling programs. Despite funding being available, many businesses are not taking advantage of these opportunities. Why? Is it a lack of awareness? Are course costs still perceived as too high? Or is it simply that businesses can’t afford to release staff for training?
Help Us Shape the Future of Digital Skills in the West Midlands
These are just some of the working hypotheses based on the conversations I’ve had so far. But to drive meaningful change, we need more data. That’s why, as part of the West Midlands Digital Skills Consortium—a collaboration between TechWM, the West Midlands Combined Authority, IBM UK Ltd., AND Digital, In4 Group, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, and Skills West Midlands and Warwickshire—we are launching an employer survey.
This survey aims to provide a comprehensive view of the current digital skills landscape, helping us design initiatives that truly meet business needs. By combining this data with insights from previous surveys, such as the Local Skills Improvement Plan, we hope to develop a regional blueprint for digital skills growth—one that drives economic prosperity.
Get Involved
If you’re a business leader in the West Midlands, we need your input. Please take five minutes to complete our
Employer Survey
. Your insights will directly inform new initiatives and interventions to bridge the digital skills gap.
Additionally, we will be hosting a series of workshops to explore these challenges in greater depth. If you’d like to contribute to shaping the future of digital skills in our region, drop me an email on:
vickie@techwm.com
and I’d love to have a chat.  
Together, we can build a stronger, more digitally empowered West Midlands—one that is ready to tackle the challenges of today and seize the opportunities of tomorrow. Let’s make tech succeed, in the most human of places! 
By Victoria Pargetter-Garner
24 Feb
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