Cornwall, a peninsula county in the southwest of England, is showing a substantial growth in its tech community. The county is becoming more frequently referred to as the "California of the UK" or the "new Silicon Valley" as the region devote more focus and resources on the digital economy growth.
The county has been catching attention as a growing tech community, especially after being featured in the 2016 Tech Nation report. The report was produced by the Government-funded program Tech City and Nesta, as reported by the Cornish Times.
In terms of turnover growth, the report revealed that Cornwall's growing digital community was ranked second, with a 153 percent increase within the timeframe of 2010-2014. That leads the county to be featured as an emerging cluster in the report. The growth far exceeded that of London, which is showing 101 percent growth. On the first rank is Southampton at 180 percent.
According to Cornish Guardian, the report mentioned places like Truro, Camborne, and Redruth as centers of the tech businesses in Cornwall. Altogether, the places are employing 1,380 staffs as well as contributing £31 million annually to the local economy, with the average salary of £34,367. That is almost twice the overall average of salary in Cornwall, which is £17,340.
Cornwall teams up with Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in boosting the digital economy growth in the region. LEP board member and chairman of the LEP's employment and skills board, Paul Massey, stated that Cornwall is fast becoming the California of the UK as the place to be for tech-based businesses.
"Cornwall's digital tech turnover grew 32 percent faster than the rest of the UK and a lot of this growth has been driven by the European Union funding available to support Cornish businesses, dramatically improved super-fast connectivity, a highly collaborative tech community in the region, and the improving skills of the available workforce, which the LEP is determined to grow," Massey explained to The Herald. Massey is also director of Cornwall's Bluefruit Software, featured in the report along with other local businesses such as Headforwards, Crowdfunder, and Sullivan Cuff.
Despite the achievements, Cornwall is still aiming to further improve the region's tech businesses and growth. The LEP is working to develop important skills through careers advice, apprenticeships, and vocational opportunities.
Cornwall is rising in its economic growth, especially due to the spurring growth in tech businesses, making the region often referred to as the California of the UK. With the help from the EU and LEP, Cornwall is determined to further boost the tech community, leading up to economic growth.
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