Campaign to encourage expats to come home
ACAMPAIGN has launched to target ‘expats’ originally from North Wales and encourage them to “Come Back and Give back”.
The M-SParc (Menai Science Park) campaign in partnership with the North Wales Ambition Board, Menter Môn and Bangor University will promote employment and business opportunities in North Wales.
It will target people who have left to further their education or careers but may now be feeling a longing (Hiraeth) for home.
The aim is to showcase the area as an ideal location to live and work – and in the long run, to encourage people to return and to contribute to the region’s economy.
Part of the initial focus will be on the North West of England – targeting cities like Liverpool and Manchester where many young people from North Wales migrate to.
Pryderi ap Rhisiart, managing director of M-SParc, said: “It’s an age-old story for rural areas like Anglesey, Gwynedd and
Conwy – as young people leave to go to University or to find work, and the significant effect this has on communities both socially and in terms of the Welsh language.
“So, we want to kick start a conversation locally and with those who have left, but long to come back home.”
The key is convincing people there are good opportunities in the area.
He added: “It’s a general belief that there are no high-quality jobs here or that we haven’t got the resources or facilities for business. As a result, young people stay away which also means that the area is deprived of crucial skills and talent.
“At a time when we need to be looking at rebuilding the economy, our aim with this campaign is to try and change these perceptions – showing that there are opportunities here and that we want to help people return.”
The second aspect of the campaign is to reach out to those who have been successful in business or in their careers beyond the borders of North Wales and encourage them to give back in order to support new businesses in the area.
Having developed contacts with Welsh people around the globe, campaign partners are appealing to people to register an interest to contribute, either of their time as mentors, or to invest financially the area.
Someone who has already made the move back is Billy Williams – founder of Cufflink, a technology company at M-SParc which helps people manage their personal information safely online.
Originally from Amlwch, Billy attended Ysgol Sir Thomas Jones in the town, before leaving to go to Huddersfield University.
He has worked all over the world – from London to Switzerland, Dubai and Australia, but, like many, he wanted to move back home to raise a family.
He said: “Having travelled extensively for several years, when we had children I wanted to bring them up close to family and in a safe and bilingual environment.
“It no longer matters where you when it comes to where you work.
“Remote working has always been part of our company ethos and given recent events there’s never been a better opportunity to relocate back to such a beautiful, safe and vibrant part of the world.” to support new ventures in live