Manchester Tech Festival has announced a new strategic partnership with community-led events company London Tech Leaders. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between the North and South tech communities to increase diversity and knowledge sharing.

Amy Newton, Director at Manchester Tech Festival commented

“Manchester Tech Festival is dedicated to building communities in order to enable knowledge sharing, increase inclusivity and ultimately enable Manchester to continue developing as a world renowned tech hub.

Partnering with London Tech Leaders will enable Manchester Tech Festival to bring new names to the Manchester tech scene, significantly boosting the potential for professional development and networking, whilst bringing two significant tech hubs closer together”

Drawing on their experience working with Manchester City Council and charities including Community Computers to tackle Digital exclusion, Manchester Tech Festival hopes to aid London Tech Leaders in reaching more people in the London Tech community who may also be facing digital exclusion.

Amy Naylor, Digital & Social Inclusion Co-Ordinator commented:

“Working with the tech community over the last year to tackle digital and social inclusion has been a real privilege, but also an eye-opening experience. There is so much work to be done to break down the barriers that prevent under-privileged individuals from accessing career in tech including increased access to hardware and access to role models working in the industry.”