“Leeds is a tech hub. Many people don’t know that.”
That was the opening observation from Kirsten Brumfitt, as she chaired a panel at this year’s Leeds Digital Mini-Fest. This set the tone for everything that followed. The event, Bridging the Tech Skills Gap: From Education to Employment, brought together voices from Leeds Beckett University, Leeds University Business School, Corecom Tech Academy and Generation UK.
Leeds’ digital economy is growing at a rate 125% faster than the national average. That is not a slow, steady climb, it’s a boom. Yet the panel made clear that the infrastructure connecting young people to that growth has not kept pace.
Businesses are expanding. Opportunities are multiplying. And too many of the people who could fill those roles have no clear route in.
The issue is not a lack of talent. It is a lack of awareness of pathways.
Rebecca Padgett, Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, was direct about what needs to change: “The education system has to be reformed. There needs to be a development pipeline from the cradle to the grave.”
It is a bold claim, but the evidence backs it up. A 2023 survey by the UK student finance body, (SLC) found that there was a rise of 28% over five years in students who signed up for a loan before dropping out of a course – suggesting that traditional degree routes alone are no longer sufficient to meet the scale and pace of demand.
Panellists pointed to degree apprenticeships, bootcamps and tailored training programmes as increasingly vital alternatives, not second-best options, but legitimate and effective routes into the industry.
Padgett added that the emphasis on formal qualifications over practical experience is itself part of the problem: “Skills need to be developed to get students ready for employment. Any form of experience is good.”
With artificial intelligence reshaping the jobs market at speed, it was inevitable the conversation would turn to what that means for young people entering the workforce. The fear is understandable; if AI can do entry-level tasks, what does that mean for those trying to get their first ‘foot in the door’?
Sarah Robinson, Business Development Officer for Degree Apprenticeships at Leeds Beckett University, challenged that anxiety head on: “AI is not a threat to business. AI can be a tool for good.”
The risk, panellists suggested, is not AI itself — it is an education system that fails to equip young people to work alongside it, using it as a beneficial tool to boost productivity, not as a cheat code.
Leeds has the ambition and the growth to become one of the UK’s defining digital cities. But a booming economy means little if the people best placed to contribute to it cannot access it.
The panel at Leeds Digital Festival made one thing clear: closing the skills gap is not just an education issue or an employer issue. It is a shared responsibility – a shared responsibility that requires action now.
The event was hosted as part of the 2026 Leeds Digital Mini-Fest. Panelists included:
