The West Midlands is situated in the heart of England and is home to over 5m people. Centrally located and well connected to the rest of the UK and beyond, this region offers everything businesses and individuals need to succeed and enjoy life, with a thriving, diverse and innovative population.
The West Midlands comprises of Birmingham and Solihull; Coventry and Warwickshire; Herefordshire; Shropshire; Telford and Wrekin; Staffordshire; The Black Country and Worcestershire. The area offers a variety of environments from vibrant cities to idyllic rural villages; dramatic hills to rolling countryside; historic castles to state-of-the-art science parks.
It is home to a dynamic and creative workforce of more than 2.7m and has the fastest-growing financial services sector in the UK outside London. There is a substantial range of commercial property from Science Park incubators to large scale development opportunities. In addition, Advantage West Midlands and other funding organisations offer new business start-ups more than 600 separate sources of business funding (see separate box). In 2004 alone, the area saw more than 14,000 new business start-ups and there are currently more than 2,300 overseas companies from more than 40 countries located in the area.
As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, the West Midlands has a long and distinguished heritage. Today, the region is the economic heartland of Britain and is responsible for 8% of the UK‘s GDP. Situated at the heart of the UK‘s transport networks, its central location allows easy access to national, European and global markets. The West Midlands is in direct contact with many of the UK‘s most important regions and is also the hub of the nation‘s transport network. It is served by six motorways, the M6 Toll and a network of major arterial roads, meaning that 82% of the total UK population are within 150 miles‘ drive of the West Midlands region.
It is also at the centre of the UK‘s rail network. Birmingham New Street is the country‘s main national rail interchange and boasts exceptional rail connections, with more than 170 direct services every weekday between Birmingham and London, while Hams Hall Channel Tunnel freight terminal and Daventry International rail freight terminal offer direct rail access to European markets.
The region is also home to two airports connecting the West Midlands to the world. Birmingham International airport is the UK‘s second largest airport outside London and has daily direct scheduled flights to over 100 destinations throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East, while Coventry Airport has an established reputation as a major centre for international freight and courier services and is home to the Parcelforce worldwide, national and international parcel distribution hubs.
As well as a highly skilled workforce, the region also offers over half a million people currently in education. The region has 13 higher education establishments, of which 10 are universities, plus eight science parks and two of the UK‘s top five business schools; all of which work closely with local industries to share expertise and research.
It is also home to the largest and fastest growing business and professional services sector outside London with over 100,000 people employed in Birmingham alone, and boasts a rapidly expanding IT sector, growing 20% every year and employing 57,000 in 3,000 companies. The West Midlands is also one of the leading telecommunications centres in the UK.
Life outside work
From the city of Birmingham and its iconic buildings at the heart of the region to Hereford Cathedral and the Ironbridge Gorge, the West Midlands offers a diverse range of cities and eclectic mix of towns and the ideal balance between urban and rural environments. With the rolling beauty of the Malvern Hills to the world-class shopping facilities of Birmingham; the magic of Shakespeare‘s Stratford to the industrial heritage of the Black Country; and the culinary offers of the Balti belt to Ludlow‘s Michelin stars, the area offers a diversity of landscapes, people, food, drink and attractions.
As Britain‘s second city and the urban centre of the West Midlands, Birmingham is a modern and vibrant metropolis. A shopper‘s paradise, the city is home to the Bullring, the Mailbox and the landmark Selfridges, attracting millions of shoppers to the region every year. The National Exhibition Centre, located on the outskirts of Birmingham, is the busiest exhibition centre in Europe, staging more than 180 exhibitions each year. Visited annually by 4m people, the centre has the ability to host large-scale international trade fairs as well as smaller specialist shows.
With a thriving, diverse and dynamic business base, the region is the ideal location for new business start-ups and for established businesses to expand. High technology companies sit alongside resurgent manufacturing enterprises with internationally famous names like Cadbury, JCB and Wedgwood continuing to prosper in the region. An impressive infrastructure and a ready-made skills base have led companies like Fujitsu, Vodafone and Muller to relocate to the area where they have enjoyed strong local support.
The West Midlands was the birthplace of the industrial revolution and it has a long tradition of innovation. Today the region has a buoyant high technology base and great emphasis has been placed on allowing its technology community to retain its international edge. Three ’technology corridors‘ have been established to build on and nurture the existing regional technology strengths in targeted key industries. The West Midlands really is at the heart of it all, creating an environment in which business and people can prosper and flourish.
Carol Caveney is interim head of marketing at Advantage West Midlands
