Tech Talent Champions

Launching Summer 2026

Hire emerging tech talent, with the evidence to back it

Tech Talent Champions helps Sussex employers recruit into AI, data, cyber, software and technology-enabled roles. Instead of sifting an overcrowded CV inbox, you see candidates work on real challenges and judge them on what they can actually do. Recruit directly into a permanent role, or use a supported paid placement to assess the fit first.

Delivered by TechNative Digital in partnership with Sussex Innovation.

Visit Tech Talent Champions →

How it works for employers

See the work, not the CV.
Candidates demonstrate capability on real business challenges, so you are hiring on evidence.
Two routes in.
Recruit straight into a permanent role, or start with a supported paid placement where you need more confidence first.
Support around the hire.
Dedicated help with role design and onboarding, so a junior appointment actually sticks.

Industry-backed talent, not a gamble

Not everyone coming through is an early-career entrant. Many are professionals from accountancy, engineering, project management, healthcare and elsewhere who have added digital and AI capability on top of a proven career. You are not taking a chance on an unknown, you are hiring people with the maturity and judgement to contribute quickly.

Where the talent comes from

TechNative runs intensive, employer-backed Skills Bootcamps across Sussex in software development, AI and data, business and leadership. Every learner who comes through them is put forward to Tech Talent Champions, so the people you meet have just spent ten weeks building real things under real deadlines.

Our bootcamps are not the only route in. We will also be running open competitions and hackathons, to be announced, aimed specifically at people who want to move into a tech career. Those are open to talent from right across Sussex, so the people you meet through Tech Talent Champions will come from well beyond our own cohorts.

Find your next hire

Visit Tech Talent Champions to see how it works and register your interest as an employer.

Visit Tech Talent Champions →
Funded by UK Government, TechFirst
Sussex Innovation

Tech Talent Champions is funded by UK Government through Innovate UK as part of the TechFirst programme.