The South West of England has long been a well-known destination for holidaymakers and festival goers. But the region is also a great place in which to live and work.

The South West is a leader in a number of industries, from aerospace to marine science and – ­ the area in which it really excels – ­ IT. A number of leading global companies are based in the region and technology expertise stretches right across the supply chain.

The South West has a population of more than five million people and is the fastest growing region in the country outside London, with one of the most loyal labour pools in the UK.

The region offers a unique balance between economic opportunity and quality of life ­ – an ideal location in which to live, work and do business.

Companies moving to the area find that the location of South West England itself is their greatest ally in recruiting and retaining quality people, and is consistently ranked as the most desirable place to live in the UK, with a net growth higher than anywhere else in the country.

The IT industry is thriving in the region and key clusters, such as silicon and wireless, offer great opportunities for technology professionals.

A long history of technology innovation, combined with a modern communications infrastructure, has made the South West a top location choice for world-class IT companies.

The region’s dynamic IT sector is underpinned by factors such as the broad availability of skilled experts, illustrious academic knowledge transfer and effective networking opportunities.

Successful and growing IT businesses realise the importance of being located in a flexible, supportive and technology-focused environment.

And innovation centres within the South West have developed close ties with businesses that benefit from connections with a talented knowledge base that draws on university-based academics and other research partners.

The South West is home to many areas of excellence in the IT industry, with more than 90,000 technology professionals working in the region.

Both employers and employees benefit from the sense of workplace excellence and the high-quality living environment, ideal factors for fostering leading research and development in a number of crucial areas:

Semiconductors
South West England is home to Europe’s largest concentration of silicon designers, second globally only to the US. As many as 500 silicon product designers are based in the Bristol area alone, as well as many more across the region.

Wireless communications
Specialist skills and world-class research facilities in vital fields – ­ including silicon design, software development and communications technologies ­ – enable the convergence of capabilities.

Such convergence has attracted major players to the region, such as Motorola, Orange, HP and Toshiba.

Research and supercomputing
Research institutions and industry generate enormous volumes and a broad diversity of data types.

The region is specialising in research into a number of areas, such as climate change, medical advances, and science and engineering.

HP Labs Bristol, for example, has been involved in global grid and utility computing projects, using the significant clusters at its Bristol site.

In Exeter, the Met Office is one of the most significant users of state-of-the-art supercomputers in the world. The world’s leading provider of environmental and weather-related services was attracted to the South West because of the strong support environment across all areas of IT.

The South West also has a number of support organisations that aim to help foster business innovation in the region.

Silicon South West, for example, is the industry network for semiconductor, wireless and micro-electronics companies in the region.

The network is at the vanguard of the UK semiconductor industry and is managed by business support specialist SETsquared, a collaboration of the universities of Bristol, Bath, Surrey and Southampton. The organisation provides support to new high-tech companies. It has innovation centres in Bath, Bristol and Swindon.

The South West offers great opportunities for people working in the IT sector. As well as the lifestyle benefits, the region brings together areas of excellence that will provide the perfect environment in which to flourish.

Supported by networks and academia, businesses and employees in the region are able to keep right up-to-date with the latest industry developments.

Colin Slater is sector development adviser for information and communication technology at the South West of England Regional Development Agency