Future Ready South West: Regional Skills Events Report

South Devon & Bridgwater, Spring 2026

By Dan Pritchard, Founder, Tech South West & Jess Coomer, Social Value Lead, Microsoft

The South West has a digital skills problem. Not a shortage of talented young people, but a shortage of the connections, confidence and clear pathways that would let them thrive.

This article brings together Dan Pritchard, Founder of Tech South West, and Jess Coomer, Social Value Lead at Microsoft, to explore what’s getting in the way, and what a practical fix might actually look like. It draws on two recent regional skills events run by Tech South West and Microsoft in partnership with South Devon College and Bridgwater & Taunton College, where students, employers, educators and ecosystem partners sat down together to work on one shared challenge: how do we make the South West the easiest place in England for young people to access real tech opportunities?

Part of Microsoft’s Social Value delivery in the South West, what emerged was a cluster of interconnected pressures, challenges around ensuring taught technical skills stay current, gaps in the confidence and workplace readiness that employers say they need, and a major lack of real-world work experience opportunities across the tech and innovation sector. Add in the structural realities of rural geography, limited public transport, a shortage of junior roles, and curriculum that struggles to keep pace with how the industry actually works, and a complex picture emerges.

But alongside the diagnosis came solutions, developed by students alongside employers and education leads. Digital platforms for matching students and employers. Multi-employer work experience models that make it viable for smaller businesses to participate. Student-led business hubs that build enterprise thinking from the ground up. Clearer regional signposting through tools like the South West Connector, so that neither students nor employers have to rely on luck or personal networks to find what they’re looking for.

Dive into the detail with our full blog here and see what the South West talent ecosystem could look like, if we rise to the challenge.

The Challenge: What the region is facing

1. Skills gaps are widening

Employers across both events highlighted a mix of technical and “power skills” gaps.

Technical gaps included:

• programming and practical coding

• cyber and web development

• scalable systems and backend development

• data and AI literacy

• experience with industry‑standard tools and software

Power skills gaps were equally prominent:

• communication

• resilience

• teamwork

• time management

• problem solving

• confidence

• presentation skills

• workplace behaviours and professionalism

Students echoed these concerns, with many reporting uncertainty about what employers expect and how their skills translate into real roles.

2. Work‑readiness and confidence remain low

The data shared at both events reinforced this picture:

• Only 32 percent of young people feel prepared for the job market

• Only 39 percent believe in their own skills

• Only 36 percent understand what employers want

• 61 percent of HR managers say work experience matters more than grades

• 26 percent of UK workers are underqualified for the job they’re in

• Employers expect 33 percent of workers’ core skills to change by 2030

Yet meaningful work experience remains limited, with only 54.5 percent of schools offering it by Year 11, and just 33.2 percent in sixth form.

3. Barriers persist for both students and employers

Across both events, participants identified recurring barriers:

• difficulty finding local opportunities

• lack of transport and cost of travel

• limited junior roles

• employers lacking time or capacity to host placements

• outdated curricula and slow qualification cycles

• lack of awareness of regional tech roles

• rurality and limited access to employers

• students unsure where to start or how to build a portfolio

These barriers create a cycle where employers struggle to find talent, and young people struggle to gain the experience needed to be competitive.

Emerging solutions

Across both events, participants consistently proposed digital platforms, collaborative employer engagement, and practical, real‑world experiences as the most effective ways to close the gap.

Key themes included:

• online portals for matching students with employers

• myth‑busting resources to help employers understand early‑career needs

• confidence‑building tools and interview preparation

• student‑led business hubs offering real services to local employers

• multi‑employer work experience programmes

• short, accessible employer‑led sessions and micro‑projects

• better signposting of opportunities across the region

These ideas align strongly with the purpose of the South West Connector, which was introduced at both events as a new regional solution.

Outputs by region

South Devon

The South Devon event centred on practical experience, confidence building, and improving communication between students and employers. Participants highlighted that young people need clearer visibility of local opportunities and a better understanding of the breadth of tech roles available. Employers, meanwhile, want more insight into student skills and expectations, and stressed the importance of real‑world, project‑based learning.

Proposed solutions focused on connection and confidence. Ideas included a Tech Workplace Agency to match students and employers through shared skills and availability, a myth‑busting hub to help employers understand early‑career realities, and a student profile platform that showcases personality and interests beyond grades. Participants also suggested short employer‑led webinars, confidence‑building sessions, a student‑run business hub offering practical support to local companies, and more multi‑employer collaboration to widen access to placements.

Charlotte Bounsall, Hi Tech & Digital STEM Lead, South Devon College said,

“Hosting this event at South Devon College and bringing our Digital, Games Development and Engineering students together with local employers has been hugely valuable. The support from Tech South West, SWiOT and Microsoft enabled our learners to engage directly with industry, share their experiences, and help shape the future of tech opportunities in Torbay. It gave students a clear understanding of the digital and technical skills local employers are prioritising, and the confidence that their insights genuinely shape the pathways being built for young people in Torbay.

For the College, it strengthened our partnership with the region’s tech community and provided meaningful feedback that will inform curriculum development and future collaboration. This kind of co‑design approach is exactly what Torbay needs to build a stronger, more connected talent pipeline.”

Overall, South Devon’s outputs emphasised practical exposure, communication, and helping both sides better understand each other.

Bridgwater

The Bridgwater event surfaced similar themes but with a stronger focus on structural barriers and accessibility. Transport and cost were major obstacles to work experience, and employers reported challenges offering placements due to time, HR processes and capacity. Students felt disconnected from industry expectations, and educators noted that courses do not always align with local job opportunities, particularly in rural areas.

Solutions leaned toward system‑level fixes. Participants proposed a central online portal for work experience and employer engagement, a multi‑employer programme offering short, flexible experiences, and a QR‑enabled networking hub to signpost opportunities. They also suggested project‑based collaboration where employers set real challenges for students, better promotion of remote and hybrid roles, and more consistent communication between colleges and employers.

Bridgwater’s outputs focused on reducing barriers, improving access, and ensuring that opportunities are visible and achievable for all learners.

Tasha Astill, Business Growth Manager for Future & Skills said,

“UCS College Group is proud to support regional initiatives like this, which bring together educators, employers and partners to tackle Somerset’s growing digital skills gap. Through our work with organisations such as Tech South West, Digital Somerset, and the CyberFirst programme, we’re helping to create clearer, more accessible pathways into the tech sector. Events like this demonstrate the power of collaboration in connecting local talent with real opportunities and ensuring Somerset’s digital economy continues to thrive.”

A regional pathway forward

Across both South Devon and Bridgwater, the message was clear. The South West has the talent, the ambition and the economic opportunity, but young people and employers need clearer, more connected routes to each other. The challenges raised at both events point to the same underlying need: a regional approach that improves visibility, strengthens communication and creates more practical, real‑world opportunities for early career talent.

The solutions proposed by participants consistently centred on better signposting, shared digital infrastructure, collaborative employer engagement and more flexible, accessible ways for students to gain meaningful experience. These ideas reflect a shared belief that the South West can lead the way in building a more connected, confident and work‑ready digital workforce.

The South West Connector, developed by Microsoft and shaped in collaboration with Tech South West, the Met Office, and the South West Institute of Technology, was created to support this shift. Microsoft and Tech South West invite organisations to create a profile to explore regional opportunities, enhance digital and AI skills, and promote courses, vacancies, and placements. It also supports SMEs who struggle to host placements, improves visibility of regional opportunities and strengthens the link between education and industry.

The insights from both events will continue to shape how the Connector evolves and how Tech South West works with partners across the region to build a stronger, more inclusive and more connected digital talent pipeline.

Want to learn more about the South West Connector? Start by creating your profile here: https://www.digitalsouthwest.org.uk/

Thank you to our partners and participants

Microsoft and Tech South West would like to extend a huge thank you to all the organisations who contributed on the day and have reached out to explore ways we can continue these connections.

Strategic Partners  

• Microsoft

• South West Institute of Technology (SWIOT)

Host Colleges  

• South Devon College

• Bridgwater & Taunton College

Employers, Industry Partners & Organisations  

• A38 IT Ltd

• APDS Ltd

• Bay Photonics

• Bedrock Booking

• Cosmic

• CyberFirst & TechSPARK

• Devon, Plymouth & Torbay Careers Hub

• Dorset & Somerset Training Provider Network

• EVO Agency

• G&H Torquay / Gooch & Housego

• EPIC

• National Highways

• NedTech.AI Ltd

• Obsolete.com

• Oriole Networks

• Plessey Semiconductors

• QLM Technology Ltd

• RandomSnail Ltd

• Sedgemoor Chamber of Commerce

• Shearwell / Shearwell Data Ltd

• Singer Instruments

• Somerset Council

• Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

• WorkSmart‑AI

• Young Enterprise

• Zero Fluff