Why Peterborough is a great for business
With its close proximity to London, and great opportunities to expand a business quickly without the high rental costs of the capital, Peterborough is an ideal location to set up a business. We take a look at some of the reasons why Peterborough is a desirable hot bed of talent and opportunity whether you're an established brand or a new start up.
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Education
Peterborough has some top educational institutions. The city has two colleges of further and higher education, Peterborough Regional College (established in 1946 as Peterborough Technical College) and City College Peterborough (known as Peterborough College of Adult Education until 2010). Peterborough Regional College attracts thousands of talented students each year from the UK and abroad and has been ranked in the top five per cent of colleges in the UK. Greater Peterborough University Technical College is a new education facility which opened in 2015. University Centre Peterborough currently has around 700 students on over 30 different degree level programmes, including Archaeology, Business and Accounting, Computing, Construction, Education, Engineering, English Literature, Multimedia Journalism, Biosciences, Media and Performing Arts so there is a fantastic talent pool for businesses to recruit from. Courses provided at UCP help students acquire knowledge and skills relevant to local businesses, industries and public services. The University Centre also provides services direct to the business community, aiding innovation, product and service development and the ‘up-skilling’ of the local workforce.
UCP have superb links with local and regional employers and strongly encourage their students to gain practical experience in their chosen fields.
Practical experience allows students to develop their skills and confidence which they can take forward into the workplace upon graduation.
Business Advice & Guidance
With a workplace population of around one hundred thousand, with roughly a third who commute in, there are some brilliant resources in Peterborough for any new business start up or established businesses who need help with expansion. Peterborough Business & IP Centre (Peterborough Central Library) is part of the British Library Business & IP Centre national network which helps entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses to build a sound business model. The service is free with access to market research and company databases, workshops, one-to-ones and regular webinars. Better Business For All (regulatory advice) is a partnership between business and national and local regulatory bodies which help local businesses with expansion and compliance, simplifying how regulatory compliance is delivered. StartandGrow offers online business resources supporting companies as they map out their plans for growth. StratandGrow specialise in bitesize course modules, live forums, stories and blogs in an interactive environment helping businesses flourish and benefit from sustainable growth.
Signpost2Grow provides a wide range of business support, advice, grants and events which enable local companies to make the most of facilities and opportunities within the Peterborough area.
New Enterprise Allowance offers insight into the types of support and funding available for those on benefits who are seeking to set up a new company or to develop an existing enterprise.
Managed workspaces
Peterborough has some inspirational offices and work spaces to cater for any sized business. Stuart House Studios provides bright, modern workspaces for small companies with big ideas. With inclusive rental deals and hassle-free terms, S|H Studios is the perfect place to develop and grow your business. The Eco Innovation Centre is a bustling business hub located in the heart of Peterborough. Set in a beautiful grade II listed building and with direct views of Peterborough Cathedral, the Eco Innovation Centre provides serviced offices for virtual and physical business tenants, as well as offering high quality meeting and event space. Peterborough Workspace provides low cost, flexible office and workshop premises for, primarily, new and start-up companies. The centre also offers free business support through workshops and advice on business related matters such as access to funding and marketing. Brightfield Business Hub is a workspace in the Lynch Wood area of Peterborough. It provides affordable and flexible office space, as well as hot-desking.
Allia Future Business Centre supports social and environmental ventures through the provision of shared co-working incubation space for start-ups and event space, through which free business support workshops are delivered.
Haatch provides flexible, all-inclusive co-working spaces, with Hot Desks, Resident Desks, Private Offices, Meeting Rooms or Postal Addresses available.