We’re happy to announce the return of this special Senior Leaders Dinner on 22 May at The Sheffield College’s Silver Plate restaurant. It’s an opportunity to see more from our Ecosystem Partner and the young people who are training for careers there. We’ll enjoy a delicious three-course meal cooked and served by talented catering students and we will be joined for dinner by T-Level students in digital subjects, who want to meet face to face with the city’s tech leaders. The college has an excellent reputation for its work in connecting students with industry and this event is one way our sector can meet and nurture the digital talent pipeline.
About the event
Our Senior Leaders Dinners are a unique opportunity to meet other leaders within the region, form friendships, partnerships and collaborations, and to build your network in an informal and friendly environment.
This special Senior Leaders Dinner – now in its second year – offers all this and more. It is about raising aspirations, giving young people direction into tech, and potentially making a big difference to their lives.
Did you know that young people who have access to employers on multiple occasions are less likely to drop out of education, training or employment? And, research has shown that after four or more employer encounters, young people are likely to earn 18% more than their peers.
This is a fantastic opportunity to meet and inspire your future workforce, to share your stories and experience and to guide and support students to fantastic careers in Sheffield’s tech ecosystem.
If you were lucky enough to get a ticket for last year you will know what a fantastic evening we had. The students were outstanding, the conversations rich and productive and the meal delicious. Attendees commented on how good it felt to give back and how inspired they were meeting the next tech generation.
Stepping deeper into the skills pipeline
Sheffield based Reach Studios is actively involved in the College’s T-levels programme, hosting four students from the Digital Production course every year. The digital design and development company also delivers an academy, visiting each year group once a month to support their work and deliver industry specific workshops, readying them for future jobs in web development.
Reach is committed to filling a gap in the region’s digital skills and growing a pool of talent that employers can tap into.
“As a business we see a gap where developer talent isn’t being nurtured at an entry level in the region,” explains Tom King, Technical Director at Reach. “Development work is either delivered remotely from outside of Sheffield, or developers are moving here from other areas. We’d like to improve the talent pool coming out of colleges and universities, wherever we can, helping them to be more employable.”
It isn’t just the young people who benefit from these employer engagements, businesses can take a lot from the experience too. Tom reflects, “It’s great for the team to be able to help the students solve problems and develop new skills. It gives them exposure to teaching and developing junior talent, as well as keeping their skills sharp by assisting them or running a workshop in their specialist area.”
Want to be there?
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Reach Studios then our Senior Leaders Dinner is a great place to start. Tom will be at the event to answer questions you might have about hosting T-level students, and you’ll meet the young people who have chosen this route into digital careers – potentially your next employee! If you are a Sheffield Digital Company Member and haven’t already secured your place, please email Emma Marshall to buy your ticket. This is an exclusive event with smaller guest numbers than our usual Senior Leaders Dinner, due to the venue and the nature of the event. If you are not a Company Member but would like to be considered for the waiting list, please email Emma Marshall who will get in touch.