BUSINESS leaders have launched a campaign to make Swindon the home of the next generation of digital tech entrepreneurs.

The launch was announced at the grand opening of unit 3 in the Carriage Works, a £1 million Workshed designed to attract fast-growing start-ups and digital entrepreneurs into Swindon.

More than 200 business ambassadors came to hear talks from members of Switch on to Swindon about create a community of digital businesses by attracting more 25 – 35- year-olds from London and Bristol.

Tom Foreman, ambassador for Nationwide said: “People’s outside Swindon don’t realise, yet, that this is a great place bring up family and strive for that better work life balance.

The campaign will look at drawing talent from the pharmaceutical, digital technology, automotive engineering and financial services, using social media and marketing campaign.

Julia Stuckey, the newly appointed head of Switch on to Swindon, told the Adver: “Places like the Workshed are really targeting those people to get them out of their office bedrooms and into a shared space and help them grow, they need that collaboration and support to grow.”

“In twenty years’ time, automatic manufactures like Honda will be using technology to manufacture their products. They are already to some degree, but it will become more computerised. As they move towards more autonomous systems and new fuels, that will absolutely require a whole new spectrum of digital technology skilled people.

“So the Carriage Works will support companies like that to continue to manufacture in Swindon because there will be that talent pool there.”

The Carriage works already attracted companies before the official opening, including Bravedog a design and marketing company, and augmented reality firm The Carto Group.

Mark Miles, managing director of another Swindon-based augmented reality firm Render Media, said: “Now you’ve got somewhere like the carriage works, that has the potential to act like a nucleus to bring all these businesses together. You’ve then got a great potential for organisations to really recognise Swindon as a place where innovation is thriving.

“If you’ve got all the businesses under one roof you’ve got all that collaboration that will happen without the fear of competition and it just means everyone is working under the same roof for the same ideals.”

“We’re working with Swindon College and our partners Intel and Nationwide so that we’re hopefully finding the next Larry Pages. Let’s see what comes out over the next two or three years so that when people leave Swindon they can come back.”