News / Start-ups
Talent shortage in IT boom
An upswing in technology start-ups and company expansion has left the city with a shortage of developers.
“Employers of all sizes struggle to recruit experienced developers and there are not enough computing graduates,” says Natasha House from QA Apprenticeships who recently hosted an event at the Engine Shed to entice more people into the industry. “There just aren’t enough to go round.”
The gap is keenly felt in the city’s fledgling and rapid growing virtual reality sector. New company Opposable VR, based in the Bristol Games Hub, has called for digital creatives, mobile technologists, games developers and 3D designers to re-train as virtual reality specialists.
“We need experienced 3D developers,” says Ben Trewhella, who runs the company and organises the UK’s largest virtual reality conference, based here: “People who can create stories, almost theatrical as well as technical.”
“TV, animation, web, mobile – Bristol has always played host to innovative studios and agencies that put together technology and creativity to create exciting projects,” he continues “The latest technology that is setting the creative and investment world alight is virtual reality (VR), and as usual, Bristol is leading the way in this new and exciting field, but for talented people to move here, we need an ecosystem.”
Expectations around VR are high: Facebook’s quiet purchase of the leading headset manufacturer, Oculus, seen as an omen of great things.
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