Digital skills take center stage at The Exchange during Birmingham Tech Week

The fourth edition of the Birmingham Tech Week Digital Skills Symposium, held at The Exchange, will take place on Tuesday 22 October. Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, will open the event, which brings together hundreds of industry leaders, talented individuals and professionals and educators to discuss digital skills. The Symposium is part of a week-long program of events taking place across the city that celebrate technology and innovation.

Professor Tom Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Educational Innovation, will be joined by University of Birmingham graduate Ashleigh Miles, who now works in PwC’s operational technology security team, and others, to discuss why the Midlands is the best place to grow and nurture talent.

At the Symposium, Prof. Tom Harrison said the following: “People and skills are central to the technological advances, including AI, that are shaping our lives and the world of work. Our graduates are the top choice among top employers, and we know that while their grades and technical skills are important, we also need to support them in developing the skills and attributes that enable people to realize the promise of these advancements. We have a key role to play in the conversation about digital skills.”

Birmingham Digital Futures (BDF), a public-private partnership co-founded by the University with PwC and Tech She Can with the aim of closing the digital skills gap, will be presented throughout the day. Sheridan Ash MBE, founder and co-CEO of Tech She Can, is exploring the bold leadership needed to ensure digital skills are at the heart of people’s education, from school to the world of work, with AND Digital and Tech UK. And for the second year running, BDF is collaborating with Digital Innovators as part of the Symposium, co-leading an afternoon workshop that will encourage participants to use design thinking to explore young people’s transition into work.