Partnership with South Tyneside Council to create a digital club

Fast-emerging Howell Technology Group (HTG), based in South Shields, has put its full support behind the launch of a digital club to inspire South Tyneside’s business and tech communities to work together

The club, established by South Tyneside Council at its digital workspace, One Trinity Green, is hosted by HTG and brings together the rapidly growing digital community in the borough and beyond, on a regular basis to discuss and debate topical issues.

The digital sector in the North of England accounts for 5.2% of the region’s economic output and in the last five years, the digital workforce has grown 28% compared with 3.1% for the region’s non-digital workforce, according to a report by Tech North, a government-funded initiative, delivered through Tech City UK.

In line with these findings, South Tyneside Council has identified a growing number of niche tech businesses operating in different sectors in the borough, with this trend set to continue.

A classic example of this growth is HTG, formed in 2005 by husband and wife, Kevin and Sarah Howell, and is a go-to organisation for cutting edge digital IT consultancy.

Based at the One Trinity Green workspace, HTG has customers in UK Government, finance, healthcare, utilities and education. Currently employing 11 core staff, this is set to increase to 30 by the end of 2018, in addition to having consultants and subcontractors working globally.

Kevin Howell, managing director, HTG, said: “While we are a rapidly expanding company with clients outside of the region we are, at heart, a family business totally committed to South Tyneside and the communities in which we live. We intend to contribute in different ways to the prosperity of the area and to create an environment for the tech scene that fosters a sense of community and shared experience.

“South Tyneside council has revealed plans to help businesses in the tech sector to scale up and grow, while working hard with schools, colleges and the region’s universities to ensure local businesses have access to the skills they need to succeed. So, this is a great time for us to partner with the council and be part of a much wider digital community in the borough.”

Councillor John Anglin, South Tyneside Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration and Economy, said:  “ICT and digital is one of our priority sectors and we have a tremendous amount of talent and digital innovation in the borough.

“HTG is just one of the flourishing tech companies based at One Trinity Green which is growing into a vibrant community for this sector and we are delighted to partner with  them. This sort of engagement is extremely positive as it shows to those within and beyond South Tyneside, that we have an open, approachable and connected tech sector.

“By bringing the wider business community and tech experts together in the same room, there is a great opportunity to open a dialogue in a relaxed and friendly environment that benefits everyone.”

For further information on the digital club, email [email protected]