Connecting Talent to Digital Futures: A Regional Platform Creating Pathways into Digital Careers

This week, the South West Connector – a new careers and skills platform – was launched, bringing together regional training, learning opportunities, and digital careers.

The South West Connector platform includes:

· Regional internships, apprenticeships, work experience, and full-time roles from employers of different sizes across the South West.

· Education providers offering both technical and non-technical digital learning and courses.

· Resources for careers advisers, AI skilling pathways, and an AI-powered assistant to help users explore roles and opportunities.

Microsoft UK has developed the South West Connector, partnering with social enterprise and online recruitment specialists, The TalentPeople, to host the platform, and collaborating with the Met Office, the South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT), and Tech South West to help people discover digital opportunities across the South West.

Skills, Access, and Opportunity – For Everyone The University of Exeter’s Breaking Ground report found that 34% of surveyed young people see a lack of job opportunities as the biggest barrier to succeeding in the region. At the same time, employers – particularly in the tech sector – are experiencing strong demand for talent, highlighting the need to better connect people with the right skills to available opportunities.

SWIoT, a partnership of colleges, universities, and employers in the South West, recognises the gap between the demand for tech-skilled workers and the number of people entering the field. Executive Director Steve Mariadas explained: ‘While this presents a challenge, through the Connector platform we are actively working to close this gap by helping more people – especially those from under-represented backgrounds – access tech careers through targeted recruitment efforts and improve social mobility across the region. The platform will also provide valuable insight into the region’s skills landscape, helping us better understand the roles most in demand, the aspirations of local people, and allow us to offer the right courses and training opportunities to support them’.

Helping startups find regional talent

The platform supports local talent while also strengthening the wider regional tech ecosystem. The South West is home to more than 18,500 tech companies, including nearly 4,000 in the net zero tech sector, and its ecosystem is powered by small, innovative firms – with over two-thirds employing just two to four people, more than any other sector.

Dan Pritchard, founder of Tech South West remarks, ‘The next era of digital innovation is well and truly underway. It’s more imperative than ever to match up the right people with the right skills with companies and opportunities, to make sure businesses don’t get left behind. The SW Connector is an essential platform, bringing together employers, educators, talent, job opportunities and training providers in one place for the region. It will be a direct route through to opportunity, to power the growth of businesses in this radically shifting digital landscape.’

Supporting the Region Through Collective Action

Karen Saville, Commercial Director, Azure AI and HPC, Microsoft, said: ‘As the tech industry continues to grow across the South West peninsula, expanding access to tech careers is essential for both social progress and business success.

At Microsoft, we recognise that achieving this requires collaboration across government, education, industry, and community organisations. By launching this platform, we aim to spark a region-wide, sustained effort to drive meaningful change. In doing so, we hope the South West sets the standard for innovation and inclusive talent growth.’

This platform also supports Microsoft’s wider Social Value commitments linked to its partnership with the Met Office, helping to widen access to digital skills and career pathways and support people across the region to develop the capabilities needed to pursue opportunities in the South West’s growing digital sector.

Kay Church, Principal Business Transformation Leader, Met Office, added, ‘As a regional employer, we are committed to helping young people develop their technical skills and fostering stronger connections between students and employers in the South West. This initiative will make it easier for individuals to engage with exciting opportunities in the region.’

Explore the platform here