Jim Mawdsley, CEO at Generator, dives deeper into two key initiatives that look to both strengthen and promote the North East creative, digital and tech sectors in 2019.
Here at Generator, the year ahead for us is extremely exciting as we look forward to building on the key partnerships that we have created over the last 12 months, which will only help us to service both our members and clients more effectively.
In the previous round-up for this publication, I mentioned the North East Supply Chain programme managed by RTC North, which we are a key partner of. This programme has investment from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) through Local Growth Fund, the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) and the North East Process Industries Cluster (NEPIC), and Generator. It has the potential to set the pace nationally as a blueprint for how different sectors can collaborate and exchange knowledge, in turn ensuring that we are all more efficient, productive, and ultimately more profitable.
Our role in this process is clear: we will be a conduit for other sectors accessing the digital solutions they need in order to increase productivity, sell more efficiently or even just promote their own businesses more effectively. Everyone needs a digital solution, right? Some businesses might simply not understand what that means. This programme will give businesses in the NELEP area the opportunity to access digital and tech expertise from around the region, allowing them to unlock more business opportunities, collaborate with different sectors, and scale on a whole new level. With the right execution, this programme will greatly benefit all involved.
One Region, One Sector, One Statement is a key campaign that we are currently focusing on as part of Digital Union. This is an important campaign to us as it will be the first time that the creative, digital and tech sectors in the North East have come together to produce one cohesive piece of work, reflecting the progress and position of these sectors. This statement is being produced with contributions from Digital Union, Sunderland Software City, Dynamo, Digital City, Newcastle Tech Trust, Invest North East and local councils such as Middlesbrough and Gateshead. Despite increasing political divisions, we are one region, and we believe that these sectors should reflect that. This exciting movement will undoubtedly see more partnerships in the future. ‘Together, we are stronger’ – is an old adage, but in this case, a true one.
Why is this statement so important? It’s quite simple: there are so many documents and reports that state what the sector looks like, yet none provide consistent data or are completely regionwide. The goal is not to have a campaign around the sector (not yet, anyway). The goal is to identify our strengths, explore how effective our education system is in producing the talent we need, and determine the true value of the sector to the regional and UK economy.
Keeping in mind that UK Music reported last year that the value of the entire UK music industry was £4.5 Billion in 2017, our research has revealed that the value of the entire North East tech and digital sectors is £2.3 Billion. It is evident that our region is growing rapidly, and the North East is becoming increasingly digital-focused
www.generator.org.uk
