Preparing Classrooms for Tomorrow: Inside the North West Tech Talent Consortium Teacher Insight Day

Written: 11/07/26

On Thursday 9th July, Salford University hosted the North West Tech Talent Consortium Teacher Insight Day. People from companies such as Siemens, Microsoft, ITV, and Barclays attended. The goal of this event was to give teachers an insight into the digital world, through possible future careers for students in the space and how to effectively implement technology in lessons. 

This article will run you through the day as it played out. 

Opening Key Note

“It’s about… the things Ai can’t replace. That’s what is most important to us.” These were the words from Key Note speaker Elizabeth Phillips-Rennie, from the Careers & Enterprise Company. They are an independent body preparing young people for their futures. She shared an insight into the digital sector, stating that there are over 2.18 million workers currently in the industry, making up 6.4% of the UK’s workforce. 

She also made us all aware of the visibility and diversity challenges involved. 300,000 responses were gathered from young people nationally, through future skills questionnaires. 9% of Year 11 students expressed a desire to work in the secondary sector, and boys are far more likely to be interested than girls (12% to 2%). She also spoke on the importance of independent evaluation for teachers. 

This expertly presented Key Note was a great starter for the day ahead. 

Panel #1: Why Technology and Digital? 

The panel consisted of host Joanne Coll, supported by Darren Hall, Dimitrios Giavasis, Gert Rohrmann, Jamie Clouting, Sam Spence, Sanjna Mander and finally Tom Price. They went into great detail about the power and capabilities technology possesses, and when it is used effectively, it can aid education, careers and day-to-day life. 

Dimitrios: “You can solve real world problems, without a technological background.”

“Solve problems creatively, by getting everyone in the team together.”

Sanja: “I come from a finance background, I never thought I’d be working in tech.”

“All of these people [from different backgrounds and roles] come together to make a really good project.”

The panel were then asked by Joanne, what does technology mean? 

Gert: “Technology has different meanings to different people.”

“Computer Science pupils… would follow the more traditional IT approach.”

“Ai, and other traditional IT qualities, can help out in the Engineering world [for example] as well as the traditional IT world.” 

The stage was then open to questions from teachers, with this question standing out in particular:

“I work in a sixth form college, and we are soon to have a T-Level… in Tech and Cyber Security. The students need to work X hours a week in the industry. I phoned around 30-40 companies to ask if they would accept children working X hours but none were interested. What would you do to tackle that?”

Tom: “We must move away from traditional technology companies.”

“Every large company will have a dedicated technology sector.”

Gert: “We need to get the ball rolling, and find more local businesses.”

“No placement, no T-Level, it’s a real dilemma.”

“We need to think a little wider, and look at the model.”

Panel #2: How to Get a Career in Technology and Digital

Sam Spence was the host this time around, with panelists Aliyah Mogra, Maddie Bayley, Neli Rudeva, Tom Price, Sash Hanratty, Gabbie Clark, and Daniel Horton. 

This panel discussed some of their roads into the Digital industry, and particularly what employers may look for from those applying. 

Maddie: “I’m quite an indecisive person. I didn’t know what to do in college.” 

“I went to an Apprenticeship fair, and immediately, after speaking with employers, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” 

She claims more should be done to support the Apprenticeship route, as they allow the ability to network and earn money, “which is an even bigger benefit.”

The highlight of this panel was when they were asked about common mistakes they see with candidates in the application process, as an employer. Sash had this to say… 

Sash: “Don’t use Ai in your resume!”
“I need to know if they are genuine, whether they’ll fit into our values and culture.”

“Don’t come preempting something, just come in and enjoy the day.” 

“The other thing… just talking too much.”

“I don’t want the loudest person in the room.” 

“Some people come in with big egos, thinking that’s what we want.”

Safe to say, she certainly spots these mistakes often!

The best question asked to the panel read:

“Is there a balance between formal routes, like Universities v Apprenticeships?  Which is better?” 

Sam: “One is not more powerful than the other.”

“We look… at internships and apprenticeships in a better light than before.”
“They will no longer hold people back.”

After this, it was a lunch break. It was a fantastic opportunity for people to get talking to other employers, as well as other teachers. 

Spotlight on AI & Emerging Technologies

Following on from lunch, we were treated to a magnificent spotlight talk, from none other than Deb Millar OBE. She fascinated the audience through her charisma, and genuine passion for what she was talking about. It was interesting to see what jobs are most likely to become automated in the future, as well as the predicted top jobs. 

She also taught teachers to work with Ai, rather than work against it.

Panel #3: Hear from our Young Technologists

The last panel was led by Danielle Ramsbottom and she was joined by Patricia Iftimie, Amna Rahman, Salha Arman, Dele Adeniyi and Leah Willan. 

They shared their experiences in their jobs in the world of technology, and explained their stories in how they got there. Salha hardly knew technology before stepping foot into the industry. In addition, Dele’s dad worked in technology for the NHS, by supporting people with their technical issues. She realised then how much she loves to help people.

They also spoke about Vibe Coding, and made teachers aware that Ai sometimes isn’t always correct, but then they said to be able to flip that into a positive. 

Raspberry Pi Applied Computing Certificate

To round the day off, we were introduced to the Raspberry Pi Applied Computing Certificate. It involves many free resources for teachers to use in lessons, to help children become more comfortable with using technology. 

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Overall, it was an amazing event, with a brilliant turnout. It was certainly informative, even to those in the room who weren’t teachers. Everyone involved in the running of the event was fantastic and helped make it into what it became.