Invest and Protect our DCT Industries to Build Back Better
14 October 2022
When we think of the North West, we will remember its glorious day as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. However, do you know the North West is currently at the forefront of a new industrial Revolution brought about by the exponential growth of technology and market reach in the internet and digital age?
Greater Manchester is home to 19,000 digital, creative and tech companies, with 156,000 people working in creative and digital roles across the North West. It has contributed £6.5bn in direct regional gross value added (GVA), making the region the highest-performing creative cluster outside of London. The creative industry in the North West is not only the backbone of the UK economy but also the cornerstone export and the face of the nation on the international stage.
The digital, creative and technology (DCT) industries have not been immune to challenges. It has its battle scars from the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the 2008 financial crash, and everyone in society has no escape but to withstand the impact of the pandemic in the past two years. Amongst the difficulties that arose from COVID-19, you will see the adaptability and sheer resilience of the creative sector. New ways of working have emerged, providing fruitful and innovative results for companies, employees and the consumer. Collaboration has also been a supremely positive by-product of the lockdown. Disappearing borders, and preconceived notions of geography being shattered, allowed us to work with anyone, anywhere. The sector is evolving at pace, and the pandemic only expedited this. However, although It may be too soon to evaluate the impact of COVID-19, the risk is so high to be ignored. We must invest and protect the creative industries if the whole economy is to Build Back Better.
Greater Manchester’s DCT industries need tailored support to help them recover from the coronavirus crisis and be ready to grow again. GC Business Growth Hub’s DCT team supports commercial and individual development by educating, empowering and skilling individuals, refining and improving processes and efficiencies at all levels within organisations.
Greater Connected is a fully funded programme operating since 2016 via GC Business Growth Hub’s digital, creative and tech service. It helps businesses to define or refine their business plans, plot a clear route to their objectives, and gain greater knowledge of core business fundamentals. Recognising the new challenges businesses face during the pandemic, the programme has revised its content to help companies to stabilise, adapt and grow.
Sarah Novotny, Head of Digital Creative and Tech Sector Business Support at GC Business Growth Hub, said: “Our advisors are ready to help and advise businesses on surviving and growing even during difficult times. There has never been a more crucial moment to be a part of the wider Greater Connected network, learning from other businesses with similar experiences and barriers to overcome.”
For businesses with the ambition to grow abroad by opening up the international market, the Global Scale-up Programme is dedicated to you for rapidly expanding into multiple markets. Successful applicants who gain a place on the programme will have access to global experts, the latest international growth tools, global market opportunities and an exclusive peer-to-peer network of companies who have scaled their businesses globally.
With the right support and funding, the world has never been more accessible for Greater Manchester’s DCT businesses, and the sky is the only limit for your company to grow and expand.
For more details of our offerings for Digital, Creative and Tech Industries, please go to:
Digital, Creative and Tech specialist service | GC Business Growth Hub
For more information on the Greater Connected programme, please go to:
For more information on the Global Scale-Up programme, please go to: