ITV collaborates with North West Industry Leaders to grow the next generation of tech talent

ITV is today announcing that it is collaborating with leading employers in the North West, in their collective aim to grow and diversify the pool of technology talent in the region.

The coalition of employers is made up of leading businesses operating in the North West including ANS, Arup, Cloud Co Solutions, GCHQ, ITV, Microsoft, PwC, Talk Talk, and the University of Salford.  

ITV is the UK's biggest commercial TV network, making programmes in a full range of genres, for all audiences across the UK. ITV spends more out of London than any other commercial broadcaster and is proud to have deep roots in the nations and regions. Around 43 per cent of ITV’s staff are based in 34 hubs outside of London. 

The consortium of companies, including ITV, will invite 16-18-year-olds into their offices to explore what a job in technology has to offer. Students are not required to have a background in technology, instead they will enjoy sessions with business leaders showcasing career opportunities in this field.

From the transformation of ITV’s internal systems and to how the broadcaster makes programmes and delivers content to viewers, digital transformation and innovation is at the heart of ITV’s future.

This includes the forthcoming launch of ITVX. A complete re-imagining of existing catch-up service ITV Hub, ITV’s new free streaming service ITVX will offer viewers a choice of over 9,000 hours of the freshest new series, documentaries, cult classics and blockbuster films.

ITV has over 650 talented people in Technology, Product and Data. ITV tech and product roles within Streaming have increased by 50% since 2020, to conceive, build and deliver ITVX later this year. In the last two years the number of data roles at ITV has doubled, with the recent recruitment also increasing female diversity to 52% and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic diversity to 33%, across all levels. 

Mark Smith, Group CIO at ITV, said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting initiative. It’s really important to allow young people to see the variety of roles on offer in Technology and Data, as we foster the next generation of talent. At ITV, we believe talking about digital should be easy and a part of everyday conversation. We want digital to be something that everyone at ITV is involved in.”