Leeds City Council leader, James Lewis, has hailed digital development partner, xDesign, as one of the city’s “digital success stories.”
Having welcomed the Edinburgh-founded tech company to Leeds over a year ago, the company has not only invested in a permanent office in the city, but created as many as 100 new tech jobs too.
Talking at an event yesterday (Wednesday 7 December) to launch the new office, Councillor James Lewis, said: “In 2021 we welcomed xDesign to the city of Leeds. Back then the company had a four-person, temporary office near Leeds train station. Fast forward to today and I’m delighted to be supporting the company in launching its new permanent office here in the city’s historic financial quarter.
“In just over a year, we’ve seen xDesign taking an active role in our local digital scene – opening a permanent office; sponsoring the Leeds Digital Festival and Leeds Digital Careers Festival as well as supporting the local economy by creating up to 100 high-skill roles in tech.
“It’s been fantastic to see the company go from strength to strength while emphasising the need to also nurture the community it works within. We can’t wait to see what this local digital success story does in the next 12 months.”
As part of his visit to the company’s new office space, Councillor Lewis launched a new partnership with xDesign which will see the two organisations collaborate on a digital campaign that will provide young people in Leeds with more opportunities to explore tech careers.
Talking about the new partnership, Matt Ward, xDesign’s head of Leeds, said: “Back in October, we released research that found that although 59% of young people in Leeds are considering a career in tech, two-thirds of them think that tech companies could be doing much more to engage and nurture their digital aspirations.
“In order to take action on the data – rather than just offer commentary on a perennial challenge the tech industry faces – we’re going to be running a programme of activities in the new year that will better engage local youngsters in thinking about tech careers.
“These activities will also provide private sector companies in Leeds with a platform to better connect with young people and help them highlight the opportunities their company can offer.
“As a company, we already have a number of initiatives in place to support young people into the sector – for example, we recently launched our own bespoke graduate programme, and offer young people paid internships.
“We want to use our expertise in Leeds, contributing to the city and wider region, building on our research findings in order to unleash the potential of Leeds’ digital future.”
Martyn Long, head of employment and skills at Leeds City Council, added: “Our partnership with xDesign holds some really exciting potential for the Leeds tech community. By coupling our local knowledge with xDesign’s expertise and experience in the tech sector, we can really offer young people a package of support that will fuel their imagination.
“Our aim is to get more young people thinking about a future career in technology, whilst helping to connect them to companies like xDesign that are actively investing in the future of Leeds’ tech community.”
