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I have always wondered why there isn't more tech sector investment in (South) Wales. Low cost of living, good transport links, a fantastic outdoors scene (e.g.

I have always wondered why there isn't more tech sector investment in (South) Wales. Low cost of living, good transport links, a fantastic outdoors scene (e.g. world class mountain biking) and strong links with academia. I would choose it in heartbeat over London. Edit: One of the reasons may be that the politicians' focus is on sponsoring large-scale industrial opportunities to create prospects for thousands of low-skilled unemployed people.

ch215 11y ago
That's right. The Welsh Government gives millions to big business. A few years back, for example, they handed Ford £10 million to keep one of its factories open. Taxpayers' money is also spent on subsidising low pay in the private sector through Jobs Growth Wales. It's unsustainable and the money could be better invested.
- Brakenshire 11y ago
  Isn't that state aid?
junto 11y ago
There is a tech scene in Cardiff. Small but growing. Here's one such company who is specialising in helping clients automate all the things - Focus on devops: https://www.devopsguys.com/ https://www.devopsguys.com/ There are actually some great opportunities for tech startups in south Wales. Lots of grant money available if you know where to look and can persevere through the paperwork.
- _xenonx_ 11y ago
  http://indycube.cymru/ http://indycube.cymru/ is help facilitate the tech scene in south wales. Great for co-working. I have worked and lived in Cardiff, Bristol and London in tech startups and hands down Cardiff is the best for so many reasons. Cheap & lovely people. Welsh tech companies can get loads of grants and trade missions, especially if anywhere outside the Vale of Glamorgan.
  - deepvibrations 11y ago
    Me too, though I actually prefer Bristol- I will accept there's a chance that the people in Cardiff may be a little more friendly, but the music scene and street art here is just unbeatable for the size and due to it's position, it's easy to travel elsewhere in the UK. The tech scene is growing at a crazy rate too - I've noticed the number of people at the JS meetups has easily doubled compared to a year ago. One thing we can definitely agree on is that the SouthWest kicks London's ass for general quality of life!
pjc50 11y ago
The tech scene loves to cluster, that's why Silicon Valley is so expensive. And there are already tech clusters in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liverpool .. (I'd also question the "good transport links"! The M4? The overpriced railway?)
- madaxe_again 11y ago
  We manage in Bristol and Bath - and don't forget the canal.
  - awjr 11y ago
    Well the canal is about to be dug up and resurfaced ;)
  - pjc50 11y ago
    Truly a transport system for the modern age! :) (Joking aside, Bristol does seem to be doing OK for tech jobs)
    - madaxe_again 11y ago
      You kid, but I sometimes stand there, stare at the thing, and think about just-in-time predictive freight for eCommerce - it doesn't have to be fast if it's always on the move.
wilsonfiifi 11y ago
I think there’s probably not enough effort put into retaining graduates in Wales but then again that’s probably due to the lack of tech sector jobs compared to London so it’s a catch 22. Maybe the Welsh Gov needs to be more aggressive in attracting tech companies, startups and investors. But as @ch215 pointed out, traditional sectors that can absorb the readily available semi-skilled work force will most likely be a greater area of focus. Also the Universities in Wales probably need to attract more lecturers who are pioneers in the field who would normally choose to go other universities such as Bristol, Imperial, etc... (we had Professor R.A. Falconer at Cardiff Uni for instance).
VeejayRampay 11y ago
And surprisingly (at least it was for me, I'm French and stereotype for Welsh people is that they "should be" introverted/rugged), Wales is an extremely welcoming place. I've found the Welsh to be warm, proud of their land and willing to give it a good name to the outside world.
dTal 11y ago
As a North Wales-ian who thinks the (robust) tech scene up here is not given its due, this comment thread is annoying (in a ha ha only serious way). Maybe it's because we like to make Serious Things like airplanes and space telescopes instead of websites.
- Wintamute 11y ago
  I grew up in North Wales and have been working in London in the tech sector for the last 10 years. Considering a move back to the mountains, genuinely interested in what the tech scene is like there now? Can you name some companies?
  - dTal 11y ago
    Cool! I'm no expert, but optics, aerospace, and defense mainly that I'm aware of. Airbus has a huge wing manufacturing plant in Broughton which I'm sure helps anchor the industry, they have massive tie-ins with the local universities through apprenticeships. Prototype mirror segments for the E-ELT project are also being built here[1] (last I checked; there's been some budget problems). I don't know everything that goes on of course, but my own job searches have turned up both interesting-looking embedded work and more run-of-the-mill web stuff, despite my earlier comment. I've seen lots of datacentre/hosting type companies kicking about as well. It's no Silicon Valley - Wrexham, the population centre, isn't quite (though very nearly) big enough to hold the interest of the intellectually curious - but it's a lot more vibrant than you hear about. Here is the business directory of the business park in St Asaph where they're building the mirror segments:[2] [1] http://www.glyndwrinnovations.co.uk/articles/latest_news/the_uk_consortium_and_large_optics http://www.glyndwrinnovations.co.uk/articles/latest_news/the... [2] http://www.stasaphbusinesspark.org.uk/directory/ http://www.stasaphbusinesspark.org.uk/directory/
- wilsonfiifi 11y ago
  other than this link: http://www.itv.com/news/wales/technology/ http://www.itv.com/news/wales/technology/ could you point us to news or tech portals that talk more about "serious" and "non-serious" :-) tech happenings in Wales, genuinely interested! Edit: seems there's this article [0] as well but its a bit dated. [0] http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-wales-tech-manufacturing-businesses-3312485 http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-wale...
chimprich 11y ago
I can't understand it either, but the situation is changing. I work in Cardiff and there's a growing number of enlightened companies that have recognised what you're saying. It's an exciting time. The Welsh Assembly try to attract tech jobs and have helped a few places but I'm not sure they've got much of an overall strategy.

ch215 11y ago

That's right. The Welsh Government gives millions to big business. A few years back, for example, they handed Ford £10 million to keep one of its factories open. Taxpayers' money is also spent on subsidising low pay in the private sector through Jobs Growth Wales. It's unsustainable and the money could be better invested.

Brakenshire 11y ago
Isn't that state aid?

junto 11y ago

There is a tech scene in Cardiff. Small but growing. Here's one such company who is specialising in helping clients automate all the things - Focus on devops: https://www.devopsguys.com/ https://www.devopsguys.com/ There are actually some great opportunities for tech startups in south Wales. Lots of grant money available if you know where to look and can persevere through the paperwork.

_xenonx_ 11y ago
http://indycube.cymru/ http://indycube.cymru/ is help facilitate the tech scene in south wales. Great for co-working. I have worked and lived in Cardiff, Bristol and London in tech startups and hands down Cardiff is the best for so many reasons. Cheap & lovely people. Welsh tech companies can get loads of grants and trade missions, especially if anywhere outside the Vale of Glamorgan.
- deepvibrations 11y ago
  Me too, though I actually prefer Bristol- I will accept there's a chance that the people in Cardiff may be a little more friendly, but the music scene and street art here is just unbeatable for the size and due to it's position, it's easy to travel elsewhere in the UK. The tech scene is growing at a crazy rate too - I've noticed the number of people at the JS meetups has easily doubled compared to a year ago. One thing we can definitely agree on is that the SouthWest kicks London's ass for general quality of life!

pjc50 11y ago

The tech scene loves to cluster, that's why Silicon Valley is so expensive. And there are already tech clusters in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liverpool .. (I'd also question the "good transport links"! The M4? The overpriced railway?)

madaxe_again 11y ago
We manage in Bristol and Bath - and don't forget the canal.
- awjr 11y ago
  Well the canal is about to be dug up and resurfaced ;)
- pjc50 11y ago
  Truly a transport system for the modern age! :) (Joking aside, Bristol does seem to be doing OK for tech jobs)
  - madaxe_again 11y ago
    You kid, but I sometimes stand there, stare at the thing, and think about just-in-time predictive freight for eCommerce - it doesn't have to be fast if it's always on the move.

wilsonfiifi 11y ago

I think there’s probably not enough effort put into retaining graduates in Wales but then again that’s probably due to the lack of tech sector jobs compared to London so it’s a catch 22. Maybe the Welsh Gov needs to be more aggressive in attracting tech companies, startups and investors. But as @ch215 pointed out, traditional sectors that can absorb the readily available semi-skilled work force will most likely be a greater area of focus. Also the Universities in Wales probably need to attract more lecturers who are pioneers in the field who would normally choose to go other universities such as Bristol, Imperial, etc... (we had Professor R.A. Falconer at Cardiff Uni for instance).

VeejayRampay 11y ago

And surprisingly (at least it was for me, I'm French and stereotype for Welsh people is that they "should be" introverted/rugged), Wales is an extremely welcoming place. I've found the Welsh to be warm, proud of their land and willing to give it a good name to the outside world.

dTal 11y ago

As a North Wales-ian who thinks the (robust) tech scene up here is not given its due, this comment thread is annoying (in a ha ha only serious way). Maybe it's because we like to make Serious Things like airplanes and space telescopes instead of websites.

Wintamute 11y ago
I grew up in North Wales and have been working in London in the tech sector for the last 10 years. Considering a move back to the mountains, genuinely interested in what the tech scene is like there now? Can you name some companies?
- dTal 11y ago
  Cool! I'm no expert, but optics, aerospace, and defense mainly that I'm aware of. Airbus has a huge wing manufacturing plant in Broughton which I'm sure helps anchor the industry, they have massive tie-ins with the local universities through apprenticeships. Prototype mirror segments for the E-ELT project are also being built here[1] (last I checked; there's been some budget problems). I don't know everything that goes on of course, but my own job searches have turned up both interesting-looking embedded work and more run-of-the-mill web stuff, despite my earlier comment. I've seen lots of datacentre/hosting type companies kicking about as well. It's no Silicon Valley - Wrexham, the population centre, isn't quite (though very nearly) big enough to hold the interest of the intellectually curious - but it's a lot more vibrant than you hear about. Here is the business directory of the business park in St Asaph where they're building the mirror segments:[2] [1] http://www.glyndwrinnovations.co.uk/articles/latest_news/the_uk_consortium_and_large_optics http://www.glyndwrinnovations.co.uk/articles/latest_news/the... [2] http://www.stasaphbusinesspark.org.uk/directory/ http://www.stasaphbusinesspark.org.uk/directory/
wilsonfiifi 11y ago
other than this link: http://www.itv.com/news/wales/technology/ http://www.itv.com/news/wales/technology/ could you point us to news or tech portals that talk more about "serious" and "non-serious" :-) tech happenings in Wales, genuinely interested! Edit: seems there's this article [0] as well but its a bit dated. [0] http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-wales-tech-manufacturing-businesses-3312485 http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-wale...

chimprich 11y ago

I can't understand it either, but the situation is changing. I work in Cardiff and there's a growing number of enlightened companies that have recognised what you're saying. It's an exciting time. The Welsh Assembly try to attract tech jobs and have helped a few places but I'm not sure they've got much of an overall strategy.