Strategic Partnerships 2021 Review

We have now reached the end of the second year of our Strategic Partnership model, created with the objective of facilitating and tackling barriers to on-Island business growth, improving relationships with industry, continuously improving our value proposition for digital businesses, and attracting new digital businesses to the Island.

This year the team have been busy working alongside stakeholders and Isle of Man Borders to review, identify areas for improvement and facilitate closer working relationships with industry to support them as the demand for skilled worker visas across our sectors continues to grow. A total of 247 skilled workers have relocated to the Island over the past year.

November saw the first ever Digital Isle take place. This was an inwardly focussed event for tech firms located in the Isle of Man to discuss challenges and opportunities for businesses and how the public and private sector can come together for the future economic growth of the Island. We were also very proud to relaunch eClub immediately following Digital Isle - a quarterly networking event for anyone working in or with the Isle of Man's tech sectors. eClub meet-ups are set to continue throughout 2022, so be join sure the eClub LinkedIn group to be the first to hear about our next gathering.

Turning to 2022, the growth of our existing business base will continue to be a key focus for us and we hope to support 250 new jobs in digital industries, with the Strategic Partnerships team working to remove friction around the growth of the workforce.

Abby Kimber-Head of Strategic Partnerships, Digital Isle of Man