Sky Betting invests £11m in Sheffield and Leeds UK tech hubs

With 900 new tech jobs being created, is the north's tech scene finally mobilising?

Sky Betting and Gaming has announced an £11m investment into the burgeoning tech hubs of Sheffield and Leeds, creating 200 jobs within the next 12 months to join an existing work force of 700.

The new hires will be split across the company's premises in both Leeds and Sheffield, which are located in technology hubs in both those cities.

While 200 jobs seems slim pickings for new technology employment opportunities, Leeds council sees the development as evidence that the city is beginning to mobilise as a player in the UK tech scene.

"This is fantastic news for the city and further evidence of Leeds' strength as a digital hub," said Leeds City councillor Judith Blake.

"We're delighted that Sky Betting & Gaming continues to invest in job opportunities here and the rest of Yorkshire."

Claire Braithwaite, head of government-funded Tech City UK-led initiative Tech North - which was founded this year to accelerate the development of the digital economy in the north of England - is similarly ebullient.

"Sky Betting and Gaming's creation of 200 more jobs in Sheffield and Leeds is fantastic news and demonstrates the strength of growth of tech businesses in the north of England and the quality of the talent pool we have here," said Braithwaite.

"With 180,000 people already employed in digital tech in the north of England this figure looks set to grow over the coming years and at Tech North we will be working with government, business and educators to support the development of a strong pipeline of tech talent in the region."

In June 2015, Newcastle's growing Tech City presence was bolstered by the opening of a 10,000 square-foot technology industry space called Campus North. The project was entirely funded by a Kickstarter initiative, which raised over £18,000, and is due to play host to 150 startups, in a similar style to Google's campus in east London.

Herb Kim, the founder of the north east's Thinking Digital technology conference, recently told Tech City Insider why he believed self-funding was necessary:
"There has been no government-sponsored PR campaign here as elsewhere," said Kim.

"People here have been forced to create their own opportunities. The region just has a great collection of curious, collective innovators."

Kim, himself born in the US, described the north east as "the most American part of the UK - extremely friendly and community-orientated".