Perceptions of Cheshire and Warrington Report by UP There Everywhere for Cheshire and Warrington LEP

PLACE MARKETING EXTERNAL P E R C E PT I O N S STUDY CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON LEP JULY 2020

Contents

The View from Students & Young Talent ......54 Introduction ..........................................................57 Executive Summary ............................................58 Student Findings ...................................................60 High Flyers and Hard Workers .........................62 Impact of Covid on Expectations .....................66 Home Town ..........................................................68 The Ideal First Job ..............................................70 Job First or Location First .................................72 Hotspots ...............................................................74 London ..................................................................76 Cheshire ................................................................78 Living Arrangements ..........................................82 Salary Expectations ............................................83 Socialising ............................................................84 Future Plans and Expectations ........................86 Imagery .................................................................88 Introduction ..........................................................3

Diagnosis ..............................................................90

Perceptions Summary .......................................4

Recommendation ...............................................94

Conclusions ..........................................................10 Recommendation ...............................................12

Young Talent Findings ........................................96 High Flyers, Hard Workers and Mainstream .98

The View from Business Leaders ....................14

High Flyers ............................................................99

Introduction ..........................................................17

Hard Workers .......................................................100

Executive Summary ............................................18

Mainstream ..........................................................101

What Drives Business Location? .....................20

Home Town ..........................................................102

How do Businesses Relocate to Expand? .....22

Location Choices ................................................104

The View from Employment Agencies ...........28

Hotspots ...............................................................108

Hotspots ...............................................................30

Career Plans .........................................................110

Perceptions of Cheshire ....................................34

Importance of Family .........................................112

Post Covid Opportunity ......................................38

Cheshire ................................................................114

Diagnosis ..............................................................48

Post Covid ............................................................116

Recommendation ...............................................50

Diagnosis ..............................................................118

Investors ...............................................................52

Recommendation ...............................................122

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Cheshire and Warrington LEP wish to gain a clear and independent view of external perceptions about the region.

This insight will help determine how to create effective messaging to attract talent and businesses and support economic growth objectives.

Cheshire and Warrington’s goal is to increase GVA from £29.3bn in 2019 to £53.3bn by 2040, implying sustained growth above the national average.

The LEP states “In many ways, this economic success is at odds with the common image of Cheshire and Warrington – that of a largely rural economy which acts as a dormitory to its larger, Core City neighbours of Liverpool and Manchester.” SEP 2020

Our perception creates our thoughts which create our personal reality. The true reality on the other hand, is the actual situation how things really are, whether we perceive them to be as such or not.

The primary question to answer: “is the perception of Cheshire and Warrington a barrier to economic growth?” Clearly if this is the case then investment to address perceptions through brand development and communications will be required to support the growth objectives.

This report brings together a number of strands of work examining the views of business leaders involved in making location decisions, the professionals who support then with property, talent and financing decisions, and also the views of final year STEM students and young talent about the choices they make when deciding where to work, live and socialise.

The study involved lengthy individual in-depth interviews through Zoom together with an additional quantitative study of students and talent, undertaken during the period of Covid-19 lockdown.

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Perceptions Summary

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Investors Investors from outside the region have close to zero awareness of Cheshire and Warrington and its constituent towns as economic entities.

Perceptions of Cheshire are typically limited to a background impression of the region as rural and affluent, plus some associations with popular TV programmes and tourist destinations such as Chester Zoo. Participants in the study saw Cheshire as pretty villages and small towns rather than farming countryside. There is an assumption that Cheshire would be a good place to live, but in a quiet way with little going on and few opportunities for well paid and demanding work.

There is no detailed knowledge of the region’s constituent towns of Warrington, Crewe, Chester and Macclesfield. Although the names are familiar and are likely to have been visited for leisure or work, there are no perceptions of the towns’ characteristics nor economic potential. Chester is known as a historic town and tourist destination, whilst Crewe is associated with railways.

Most business leaders can locate Cheshire in relation to Manchester and Liverpool, and have an associated image as Northern possibly seeing the region as a commuting / dormitory or retirement zone. The perception of industry and business is limited to the cities with the well-known Northern Powerhouse brand firmly associated with Manchester, not Cheshire and Warrington. Investors are aware that the Liverpool and Manchester area is well-connected by motorways (but with slow heavy traffic), good airports and the promise of HS2. But again, these transport links are not directly associated with Cheshire.

There is clearly a low-level but real prejudice amongst many business leaders against ‘the North’ because they are personally committed to the power centres of their businesses, typically London. They see the North as relevant only for back-office and manufacturing rather than somewhere they themselves would want to work.

Those business leaders who have lived and worked in Manchester, visit customers in the North West or have business branches in the region, have a deeper level of awareness but their perceptions are not much different. They can picture specific locations but have no overall conception of the region economically. For instance, they may be able to picture Chester as an attractive town and the financial services business park as substantial, but as leaders have no understanding of the benefits of locating a business in the area.

As such business leaders do not consider Cheshire when planning a business move. If the area comes up on an options list, they will initially apply their own personal preconceptions which are essentially negative or at best neutral.

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Perceptions Summary

Commercial Property Professionals Commercial property professionals have a detailed and current understanding of Cheshire from an economic standpoint and are aware of the initiatives, infrastructure and employers in the region.

However, through direct comparison with other national and international locations, property professionals have a perception that Cheshire is in no way exceptional. The belief is that Cheshire sector hotspots are rather sub-scale nationally and internationally, so will not be high on the list for consideration by clients. The strongest selling points for Cheshire are the proximity to Liverpool and Manchester and access to good communication links.

The perception is that Cheshire and Warrington is an artificial geography which serves as a hinterland to Liverpool and Manchester and is comprised of essentially third tier towns.

This means that it is difficult for commercial property professionals to convince clients on opportunities in Cheshire because alternative locations will be better known with clearer economic perceptions.

This focus brought some awareness of opportunities in Cheshire, but this awareness did not extend to a wider appreciation of the region economically.

Whilst recruitment consultants are experienced at selling candidates on the advantages of any location, candidates themselves form their own view. Consultants do not see

Recruitment Consultants The recruitment consultants that we interviewed were focussed on serving clients through sectoral expertise, city locations and specific professions.

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Cheshire as being exceptional or offering unique benefits, and it is therefore very hard to persuade highflyers or experienced senior managers to work or locate there.

Qualified graduate talent without multiple opportunities are relatively easy to attract as they will move to find the job.

Unskilled and low paid staff tend to be easier to recruit to city locations because transport options are better.

The implication is that recruitment consultants find it relatively hard to recruit talent to Cheshire but are always willing to act as ambassadors for an area and will consume and promote any collateral provided.

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Private equity makes rational economic decisions and looks to infrastructure, talent pools and costs. Northern

Private Equity Portfolio managers consulted were location agnostic and would expect the business leaders to make appropriate location decisions.

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based private equity managers had little perception of Cheshire and Warrington as an economic region, nor of the sector hotspots. They were more focussed on the cities, particularly Manchester and Leeds.

The implication is that although private equity managers may not initiate location options they will be involved in final decision making and currently have no positive perceptions to influence their thinking.

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Perceptions Summary

Students Students from outside the region have almost no knowledge of Cheshire - their background perception is of rural affluence and little more.

They may also have perceptions formed or reinforced through popular TV programmes, from tourist visits to Chester as a child or by talking to friends with homes in Cheshire.

Most students from outside the area are unable to locate Cheshire accurately and have no awareness of the constituent towns.

Southern-based students have a vague association of Cheshire as being in the midlands or north and this brings to mind poor infrastructure, poor housing and industrial activity. This northern prejudice is not directly applied to the word Cheshire, although it will be to the names of the region’s constituent towns.

Highflyers actively reject the idea of working in Cheshire as they see it as remote from power and opportunity, and isolated from the social centre to which they aspire. In fact, even Manchester is lacking in this respect.

Hard workers and mainstream students are primarily interested in finding a career job and will move wherever that is. They may have concerns about cost and isolation but expect that they will find somewhere satisfactory to live and will probably move on to the next opportunity before too long.

Students whose homes or universities are in Cheshire have a positive perception of the region, although this is based on their specific experience of family, shopping and the local towns rather than a perception of the region economically. In fact, most do not see the region as offering positive job opportunities and expect to move away for work.

The implication is that highflyers will not move to Cheshire and other students do not have a sufficiently positive view of the economic opportunities to even proactively look for work in the region. Should job opportunities arise in Cheshire they will willingly move there, but this is not because of positive perceptions of the location.

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Young Talent The perceptions of students are mirrored by young talent in the first years of employment

Highflyers typically locate to London and continue to view Cheshire as a backwater, far from power and influence and lacking a world class cultural and social experience. Hard worker and mainstream talent will move for work, but as they have no perception of Cheshire as offering economic opportunity will not proactively search for job opportunities in the region.

There is a perception amongst talent that Cheshire would be a good place to live, although possibly expensive, but this is tempered by the thought that it may be too quiet. In their first working life stages young talent is more interested in a lively social and employment scene, possibly working in city centres and living within 20 minutes. There is a background perception that Cheshire would be a place to aspire to in later life, to settle down and bring up a family, although for some this seems like retirement.

The pull to family, friends and ‘home’ is strong but often hidden, and this offers an opportunity to attract talent back to Cheshire. As lifestages evolve through partners to family, and parents get older, there is a clear hankering to move closer, but this is dependent on the practicalities of work and affordability.

In contrast to the more general external perceptions, young talent and indeed more senior business leaders who live in Cheshire have very positive perceptions of the region as a place to live. They feel it combines a sense of community with easy accessibility to pleasant countryside and major cities. There is no sense amongst those living there that the region is expensive, and indeed there is a sense of the variety of place with interesting towns and countryside.

The lack of positive associations with Cheshire as an economic entity means that talent looks elsewhere for jobs. If a job is found in Cheshire then High Flyer and Mainstream talent will move, but without the very positive perceptions of those already living there. The danger here is that given options, talent will reject Cheshire unfairly.

The pull to Cheshire from those who have experienced the region as ‘home’ is strong, and as lifestages evolve there is an opportunity to attract returners.

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Conclusions Whilst relocation involves an objective evaluation of location options, decisions are heavily influenced by perceptions of an area as a suitable economic location and place to live.

London is still considered to be the ‘centre of power’ by senior executives and by young high-flying talent, attracted to the vibrancy of a world class city. Against these criteria, C&W is rarely considered as being ‘on the shopping list’ with very low levels of awareness and limited knowledge about the region. Participants in the study held a vague perception of C&W as rural and affluent, but little beyond that.

The constituent towns of Warrington, Chester, Crewe and Macclesfield are also little known. The perception is not negative, but awareness and knowledge are too low to generate consideration, even before rational analysis is applied. Although there are sectoral ‘hotspots’ in the C&W region (financial services in Chester, biotech at Alderley Park, energy around Warrington and high-tech engineering in Crewe) these are not considered as special or unique on the national or international stage, even within their respective industries.

Covid lockdown has massively accelerated flexible and home working among office based and service staff

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“I’m trying to wrack my brains if there have

Maintaining distancing in office environments (and

been any projects in Cheshire but no SMEs

clearly cost is another business driver - reducing office

public transport) means less staff in the office. And

from the UK or larger, more global corporates

space by just 30% would provide major cost savings.

have looked at that market for any of the

more flexible home working with smaller head offices

Businesses are actively considering options to support

work that I’ve done and I think that that is a

supported by satellite offices which staff can visit for

reflection that there isn’t any profile, it’s just

reduces cost, improves work-life balance and increases

people don’t know about it. So why would you consider something you haven’t heard of?”

Corporate Location Consultancy

The lack of awareness and knowledge of C&W as a business location underlines the need for the region to establish and communicate a relevant brand and proposition. The unprecedented shift in working patterns as a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic may actually be an opportunity to position C&W as a perfect place to live and work as flexible, home-based working patterns outside of major cities becomes the new normal.

Covid lockdown has massively accelerated flexible and home working amongst office-based and service staff, and also changed viewpoints amongst C-level decision makers. It seems that productivity is unaffected whilst providing multiple advantages for staff, many of whom are expressing the desire to continue working from home

occasional face to face meetings. Such an approach the accessible talent pool.

Significant investment in new manufacturing and research facilities may be held back by capital scarcity, and retail will accelerate the trend to online. Distribution will also need to be reconfigured for the acceleration in online activity.

Covid has forced all businesses to re-examine location strategy through an enforced demonstration of the effectiveness of working from home, changes to business volumes and channels, and current revenue and future capital pressures.

This discontinuity offers a strategic opportunity for C&W to take a thought leadership position, demonstrating the locational advantages of the region. This is a marketing led opportunity to match the benefits of C&W to the new business environment and create authentic messaging which establishes Cheshire as an economic brand and cuts through to stimulate positive consideration.

after lockdown ceases. With most businesses intending to keep offices closed until September at the earliest, working from home will become ingrained as the new way of working.

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Recommendation

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A clear brand identify, awareness and perceptions are prerequisites for attracting business and gaining consideration for inward investment and growth.

Rational appraisal will follow but awareness and perceptions lead the process. This is a classic marketing requirement – understand the needs of the prospects, align the authentic benefits of the offer and generate a compelling proposition which can be communicated consistently.

We propose that Cheshire should use the current discontinuity to rebrand as the thought leader in post-Covid business strategies, aligning Cheshire’s benefits as an economic region and as a great place to live to the opportunity to restructure business. Leading this debate provides cut through and a channel to dialogue with business leaders.

It will be important to add substance by communicating Cheshire’s business success stories including big name brands and high growth businesses within key sectors. Using these exemplar case histories will highlight the authentic benefits of Cheshire. There are clear strengths in the new economic order from accessibility nationally and internationally, proximity to the cities and the large skilled talent pool.

Cheshire can also add strong emotional messages into the rebrand as a great place to live pulling on the heartstrings tug of “home” for those who are now living and working outside the region. The strong combination of communication, accessibility, community, safety and countryside with access to cities adds up to a great place to live and work.

Consideration should be given to creating a new brand identity rather than utilizing the Cheshire, Cheshire and Warrington or town names. The low awareness and lack of economic relevance underlying these names does not help in gaining traction. A new identity perhaps aligned with the Northern Powerhouse brand is likely to be more effective.

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PLACE MARKETING EXTERNAL P E R C E PT I O N S ST U D Y The View from Business Leaders

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Business Leaders

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Introduction A business’ location can be a critical factor in its success. But how do companies choose a base? What are the key factors that drive the decision to invest in a particular location, and how does the Cheshire and Warrington region (C&W) measure up as an option?

This study examines the views of business executives and professional advisors responsible for determining the location of high growth companies within high-tech sectors, including some start-up entrepreneurs. It gauges current levels of awareness and perceptions of C&W in relation to other regions, and explores what business leaders look for when choosing a location in which to live, work and invest.

The insights gained from this study were achieved via 20 in-depth* interviews with C-level business leaders whose companies have recently expanded or relocated.

This was supported by additional in-depth interviews with professional advisors including corporate relocation consultancies, recruitment agencies and private equity firms.

This study forms part of a wider study undertaken to help Cheshire and Warrington LEP gain a clear and independent view of external perceptions about the region. Other areas of the study report on the views of young STEM/business educated individuals, including students and talent. * interviews lasted for up to one hour and were conducted safely via Zoom

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Business Leaders

Executive Summary Relocation is resource-intensive, distracting and costly. It is therefore not a decision that businesses take lightly. When it happens, relocation is driven by practical factors such as the need to expand or downsize, reduce costs, find new talent, or because of lease expiration.

Whilst relocation involves an objective evaluation of location options, decisions are heavily influenced by perceptions of an area as a suitable economic location and place to live. The personal circumstances of senior staff also play a big role in guiding a relocation. Board-

“I’m trying to wrack my brains if there have been any projects in Cheshire but no SMEs from the UK or larger, more global corporates

level decision makers and experienced senior talent are

have looked at that market for any of the

often settled in an area with children in good schools, and

work that I’ve done and I think that that is a

are therefore averse to moving their homes and families.

London is still considered to be the ‘centre of power’ by senior executives and by young high-flying talent, attracted to the vibrancy of a world class city. Against these criteria, C&W is rarely considered as being ‘on the shopping list’ with very low levels of awareness and limited knowledge about the region. Participants in

reflection that there isn’t any profile, it’s just people don’t know about it. So why would you consider something you haven’t heard of?”

Corporate Location Consultancy

the study held a vague perception of C&W as rural and affluent, but little beyond that.

The constituent towns of Warrington, Chester, Crewe and Macclesfield are also little known. The perception is not negative, but awareness and knowledge are too low to generate consideration, even before rational analysis is applied. Although there are sectoral ‘hotspots’ in the C&W region (financial services in Chester, biotech at Alderley Park, energy around Warrington and high-tech engineering in Crewe) these are not considered as special or unique on the national or international stage, even within their respective industries.

The lack of awareness and knowledge of C&W as a business location underlines the need for the region to establish and communicate a relevant brand and proposition. The unprecedented shift in working patterns as a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic may be an opportunity to position C&W as a perfect place to live and work as flexible, home-based working patterns outside of major cities becomes the new normal.

Covid lockdown has massively accelerated flexible and home working amongst office-based and service staff, and also changed viewpoints amongst C-level decision makers. It seems that productivity is unaffected whilst providing multiple advantages for staff, many of whom are expressing the desire to continue working from home after lockdown ceases. With most businesses intending to keep offices closed until September at the earliest, working from home will become ingrained as the new way of working.

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Executive Summary

Maintaining distancing in office environments (and public

This discontinuity offers a strategic opportunity for C&W

transport) means less staff in the office. And clearly cost

to take a thought leadership position, demonstrating the

is another business driver - reducing office space by just

locational advantages of the region. This is a marketing-

30% would provide major cost savings. Businesses are

led opportunity to match the benefits of C&W to the new

actively considering options to support more flexible

business environment and create authentic messaging

home working with smaller head offices supported by

which establishes Cheshire as an economic brand and

satellite offices which staff can visit for occasional face to

cuts through to stimulate positive consideration.

face meetings. Such an approach reduces cost, improves work-life balance and increases the accessible talent pool.

Significant investment in new manufacturing and research facilities may be held back by capital scarcity, and retail will accelerate the trend to online. Distribution will also need to be reconfigured for the acceleration in online activity.

Covid has forced all businesses to re-examine location strategy through an enforced demonstration of the effectiveness of working from home, changes to business volumes and channels, and current revenue and future capital pressures.

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Covid lockdown has massively accelerated flexible and home working among office based and service staff

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Insight Findings

What Drives Business Location?

Most businesses start as individuals operating locally in low cost premises or from home. They locate locally because this is convenient and they are aware of the local suppliers and sources of talent.

As businesses grow there is a greater understanding and prominence to the challenges of cost, flexibility, talent and access to customers, but these are rarely apparent at the start. Although there are entrepreneurial “hot spots” for instance in tech in London business locate

“It’s where Matt (the founder) lives so easy for him.”

Business Services

within these as much for convenience and being close to customers as for the buzz and access to the ecosystem.

Serial entrepreneurs will co-locate their next idea with an existing business to minimise cost. At this stage there is no formal evaluation of location options.

“ I talked to friends, I’ve talked to quite a few colleagues including some who started out on their own. Obviously I visited a lot of premises before I decided what I want. I wanted to be close to home, where I know good staff and suppliers. If you were to dislocate to a different place entirely, you’d

“When I first started the business, it was from my bedroom as is the case in most businesses, then about 12 months after that I took a very small office in a serviced office building in Tower Bridge. I didn’t have to be in the centre to reach clients but it gave my business a level of credibility and professionalism.

Technology Services

have to start that from scratch. I’ve learned a lot of valuable knowledge that I’ll be able to use next time.”

High Value Engineering

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What Drives Business Location?

As businesses grow they may physically relocate more than once. Although disruptive and possibly expensive this is an exciting moment in the life of the business, positive to the culture and marking success. There will be consideration given to investing ahead in space and facilities, looking at accessibility for staff and for some businesses the prestige of a city centre address. These moves are thought through and options considered carefully by the owner and board but are still largely a matter of emotion. The location has to feel right as the business is still highly personal to the decision makers and the staff.

“If we want to be successful, we’ve got to move. We need at least another 25% capacity within 18 months. Its about trying to get the right place with the right people and the right timing, which is obviously very important because you’re not going to be able to do production for several weeks. Clients must be on board with this by explaining the benefits to them. Production will be quicker, we’ll have more and better machinery” High Value Engineering

“As the business was growing fast the office that we had only seats comfortably a maximum of about 16 people. And at that particular point, we had 20 people and people were effectively hot desking sharing two to a desk, some people were sitting in the business next door just so they could sit down, and other people were almost constantly on the mobile phone wandering around the carpark because there’s nowhere to sit. So, simply, it was we just reached that point. There’s a nice problem to have that the business was growing, and we needed to basically find the place.”

Business Technology Services

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Insight Findings

How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

Established businesses do move their entire operation on occasion if they have outgrown a premises, or the lease has expired. This can be a very costly exercise and is very carefully evaluated.

The cost and disruption is high and retaining key staff is

of staff, and particularly key staff who may be lost through

a priority. At this stage moving divisions or functions to

the move. A move out of region may lose 50% of staff

satellite offices is often more practical. Many businesses

which is disruptive and costly.

open local sales offices as they grow. Large corporations will own multiple buildings in this way or by acquisition.

Some corporations have long standing strategies to

“Travel time is important for all staff but

establish out of city campuses.

not everybody travels by car, some come in

Among the businesses interviewed there are essentially

via rail or bus. Our people are quite social

four types of functionality that require specific premises types – office, manufacturing/production, distribution

at lunch and after work so what amenities

and retail. Biotech and life sciences research is essentially

are close by for the staff so that they can

a form of production in this sense – a capital intensive

arrange lunch and shop. Keeping the staff

bespoke facility with specifically skilled staff. The requirements for physical premises, accessibility and labour pool are different in each case.

happy is just as important as the cost of the site and the internet”

In established businesses the rational appraisal of requirements against potential locations takes place in a

Financial Services

structured way but the decision making is less objective than might be thought. Generally a shortlist of 3 to 5 options will be evaluated and brought to the Board for a decision.

The rational criteria for assessment are generic and obvious although the detail is different for each business.

Size and cost, purchase or lease, quality of fit out for instance. Generally the area of search and city centre versus business park are left open at this point although

Senior staff in particular may not be willing to move home location because they are settled with family and schooling, and high flyers prefer metropolitan buzz and opportunities. This often results in conservative choices with local moves. The background perception of Cheshire as rural and affluent is not in itself an attraction to senior staff with existing ties and career expectations.

an immediate and overriding requirement for most is accessibility for existing staff. Surveys of staff may elicit journey times and assessments be made of the number

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How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

Quality of the building interiors and modernity of building are important to provide a positive working environment and attract staff, and the immediate environs of the building matter too – are there shops, cafes, and a social scene?

Nestle suffered both a negative culture change and loss of talent when moving from Central London to Gatwick (Crawley) where the environment was barren.

“There’s definitely the business buzz and the energy of being in a city environment, the pre and post work going to the gym, going to a bar, going shopping. That’s a big draw. And I can speak from experience when we went to Gatwick, we missed it massively. It affected the culture of the organisation. You only got to know other individuals in a formal meeting environment, you didn’t really get to know them personally. So that had quite a material impact on the feeling of the business.”

Manufacturing

The search for a new property is itself quite unstructured with a combination of local networking and knowledge, consulting the internet and agents and driving around. This highlights the importance of working with agents such as letting agents, commercial property consultancies and recruitment agencies so that a wider range of locations are considered a positive story presented early on. It is surprising that more coherent collateral is not available to business leaders who have relocation plans to manage early preconceptions of economic areas, presenting both the economic and lifestyle benefits.

“We did everything really: we looked on the internet, visited letting agents and we drove around because the commercial director knew the locations. We cold-called into some business parks, and asked to speak to the manager or the owner and established what’s available.

We went to some recruitment agencies as well because we were recruiting staff, and they have links with buildings or businesses that they’re aware of where there are vacant spaces. It was literally just a case of pooling all the different resources.”

Financial Services

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How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

“I don’t really know where people go to

“We have a sole arrangement with two

look for that source of information like if

government organisations, which are “Come

I’m looking for an office in Manchester, I

to Guernsey” and “Relocate Jersey.” We work

wouldn’t be able to tell you where to go. I

with their government funded departments

could tell you if you wanted to buy a house

to promote business in Guernsey and Jersey.

in Manchester where I would go... Right

So when we’re talking to clients who are in

Move, Zoopla or OntheMarket in that order.

the early stages of considering locating a

I couldn’t tell you where I would go to get

business facility and thinking about talent

business premises and infrastructure up

pools, we advise them on what it’s like to

there”.

relocate to Jersey and the Channel Islands.”

Energy

Recruitment Agency

This results in serendipitous options rather than a comprehensive and unbiased search which highlights the importance of saliency and visibility. In this enquiry Cheshire was never specifically identified as a target location even though some businesses were looking at the North West. Unless Cheshire gets on the list of search areas then it will only be considered further by lucky chance. This business owner, moving an engineering business from Birmingham to the North West knew Cheshire as a tourist destination but had not considered that Cheshire might be a suitable location for his business.

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How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

“Liverpool, Manchester, Merseyside is the target area, but somewhere around there, it doesn’t have to be a specific target, town, village. It just got to be in that area. I got a map of the area and put pins in the different places that looked feasible. And then also on that map, I put pins of where the clients were.”

High Value Engineering

A number of options are then presented to the business owner or board for wider consultation and a decision. At this point also conservative factions and personal preferences will come into play. Staff are often taken to the new location to see the new offices and explore the area and a sense of excitement and anticipation is engendered.

Inevitably some staff are disadvantaged, even if just with a longer commute and these individuals and their concerns need to be managed. Some staff will almost certainly leave and have to be replaced. A location such as for instance Milton Keynes or Cheshire will have to overcome a lack of knowledge and poor pre-conceptions as an economic area and risks being voted down. These areas are more likely to be thought suitable for back office operations than as locations for head office.

“We’ve got massive offices in Milton Keynes, actually, they’re bigger than our big London buildings. By 2021 there will be space for another I think 5000 people. They were ready to accommodate us to move to Milton Keynes. I believe that there were more advantages to disadvantages but when I presented that to our senior heads, as the majority of them are based around London and the southeast it went down badly. It’s just easy and convenient for them to be in London.”

Financial Services

The final decision is often emotive rather than purely rational. If Cheshire is perhaps coming from behind because of an absence of knowledge that underplays emotive benefits then building the rational benefits is doubly important. Building the case for good communications, a strong labour pool, excellent internet and given the cost of a move options that defer or reduce initial premises cost are attractive. There is a role here for the LEP in helping to make transition smooth for the business and staff.

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How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

“When we set up for example our Glasgow operation, the one thing that really hit me is how quick your costs spiral. And how quickly when you do a P&L you see lump sums that go out the door, so the deposit on an office, three months deposit on car parking and then you hire the staff it really hits the financial projections” Energy

“Can the location get me an advantage, for example, you know, some sort of government funding, some sort of council funding, you’re bringing money to the area, bringing people to the area, those people spend their money in the area, they buy houses in the area, rent houses in the area. Yeah, 60 skilled people is quite an investment in an area. So if I could get any help in that sort of sense, then I would certainly look at it.”

Engineering

The physical move is disruptive and costly with unexpected obstacles and unfortunate surprises. Large corporates are able to manage the transition more effectively and will use bonuses and inducements to retain key staff.

“Comms is so important you can’t survive three months without internet. Virgin was our chosen supplier and made our move a complete nightmare. I mean they just couldn’t deliver the service that they offered for broadband and the VOIP was horrendous. They basically never delivered what we needed, even though they sold it to us” Business Services

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How do Businesses Relocate to Expand?

Large corporates are able to manage the transition more effectively and will use bonuses and inducements to retain key staff

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The View from Employment Agencies Talent professionals are often involved early in the move process because inevitably there will be attrition and sometimes substantial recruitment of new teams and leaders. This places employment agencies in a position of influence. The view as we have observed in our own interviews with students and talent is that opportunity is more important than location.

“There’s loads of things that have become

“We see lots of companies that are slightly

far more important than location. Many

outside of the city centres, and they find it

businesses are more flexible now, the

a lot more difficult to attract the lower level

first thing people say is - can I work from

talents. Because they’re paid less, they’re

home on Fridays? So it’s more about how

less willing to travel. They are more likely to

competitive you can be and whether you can

live closer to the city centres or have easier

pay the right kind of money and the right

access into the city centres because of the

benefits and create the right opportunities.

public transport.”

People are generally more interested in

Employment Agency

opportunity than location.”

Employment Agency

In addition when offered a choice, or based on experience, young talent do expect a social life and the location plays a part in this. We have not come across examples in this

At one level young people will look for the role and often

work where talent specifically selects industry hotspots,

be pleased to find a relevant and interesting career

other than London. Young talent are generally not

job wherever that may be based. There is generally no

attracted to the rural idyll and isolated business parks can

shortage of lower skilled and generic graduate talent. That

also feel soulless.

said location is important in a number of respects.

Firstly an unskilled workforce requires easy low cost accessibility to the workplace:

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The View from Employment Agencies

“The social aspects of the location for younger people can be quite a draw. We get lots of people who have obviously come out of university and had quite social lives and then moving into out- of -city centre companies where they can’t just wander down the road with their colleagues for a beer after work and, and quite often, that is a big thing for them. It never is to start with, but it soon comes out when they’re presented with two or three opportunities which might equally be on their own merit as good as each other. But the social aspect of a city is a big draw at that point”.

Employment Agency

Top talent, that is the high flyers who might account for less than 2% of graduates will always have options and will have more control over the location in which they find employment. Most often they will choose to be in the centre of the business action – head office and a world class city where they see the career opportunities to lie, which also offers social life advantages on their terms.

“Good candidates always end up with more than one offer. You can get them to interview, you can offer them a job, but the chances are that they’ve got three or four other opportunities that are also presenting themselves. And what it comes down to in the end is they really want to want to work in a vibrant area. Where they are in the centre of the action and live that kind of life.”

Employment Agency

Relocation and recruitment of senior experienced management is often more challenging because they are less willing to uproot family and schooling. The talent pool of senior management outside metropolitan areas and industry hotspots can be a serious concern but is mitigated to some extent by flexible working and maybe more feasible post-Covid.

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Hotspots Leading hotspots provide employers with a talent pool, facilities and an ecosystem of suppliers and institutions. Leading hotspots are certainly an attraction for inward investment but there are suggestions that the Cheshire based hotspots are essentially sub-scale on a national or international stage.

“In life sciences, we are very, very concentrated towards the southeast. So we have about 87% of all life science UK investment happens in the southeast. That in itself as a single kind of point of reference is a massive draw for SMEs and also larger corporates.

And that is where the northwest in particular, has really struggled.

There is a perception that there is a lack of capital available, either to support businesses or to invest in businesses in that area. And in what is a very resource intensive part of the industry you need capital constantly in one shape or another. So if you’re not located anywhere near that capital, it becomes very, very difficult. That is one of biggest push backs whenever we explore opportunities in Cheshire, Warrington and the Northwest more generally. If I need XYZ capital and they’re all based in Oxford, Cambridge, London, why would I consider Cheshire?”

Corporate Location Consultancy

In fact the life sciences lead consultant at Cushman and Wakefield has never had an assignment that resulted in inward investment in Cheshire.

“I’m trying to wrack my brains if there have been any projects in Cheshire but no SMEs from the UK or larger, more global corporates have looked at that market for any of the work that I’ve done and

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Hotspots

I think that that is a reflection that there isn’t any profile, it’s just people don’t know about it. So why would you consider something you haven’t heard of?”

Corporate Location Consultancy

There is little indication that a sectoral hotspot attracts talent directly, but once there senior talent becomes hard to move.

“What people want to know is if I put my business there, I’ve got the right senior level talent to guide and develop that business.

And that’s why the golden triangle is a very attractive place to be, even though it is probably five, even 10 times more expensive to base yourself there. Okay, if I need a senior director or I need a vice president of x, I’m more likely to find it there than I am by going to anywhere else in the country. So there’s far too much focus from LEPs on graduate availability and graduate talent. And, you know, if you’re a company and you can’t recruit graduates in the current market that we’re in, then you’re doing something wrong. Senior talent is much harder to find” Corporate Location Consultancy

“I don’t think a hotspot makes a huge difference to talent recruitment. We see lots of centres for different types of technologies. I think I think it all comes down to the type of business and whether it’s an exciting business, whether it can sell itself above the other companies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the 15 years I’ve been doing this where somebody has wanted to specifically work in that hotspot tech region or that financial services area. London yes because it’s the centre of things.”

Employment Agency

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Hotspots

“It’s very isolated, like the back of beyond, that’s what our people say when they first visit. It’s not Oxford but there is enough there to be good. It needs investment, it needs big names” Pharma

Alderley Park currently seems to lack the profile and support of golden triangle biotech hotspots, however key professional talent will come for the jobs.

“The talent, the hot people, the PhDs will go to Alderley Park even though it’s isolated. They want the career and the job that’s what matters to them. That’s what they are like those PhDs” Pharma

Examples were given of more prominent life sciences hotspots that have established or re-established a national and international profile such as GSM Stevenage, Merck Sharp & Dohme in the west of Scotland Science Park in Glasgow and the Newcastle Biosphere. Typically clusters are formed around ABCs. academics, businesses and clinicians to hospitals. Typically anchored through an academic institution. Alderley Park lacks a lead anchor and is isolated from clinicians and institutions.

Thinking about Cheshire more broadly Christie’s in Manchester is a research led hospital and there is the Liverpool Medical School which is also world class. There would be the potential for Warrington as a hotspot connecting those centres but Alderley Park is not in that location.

Newcastle is an example of what can be achieved from a very low base.

“Newcastle had a huge amount of funding from LMG to help support that development with good local council engagement and Newcastle University is a highly reputable Institute. There was a three pronged approach with local government support, local academic support, and a funding monster who was quite happy to do regeneration projects. And then the Biosphere has been designed really well. They also had a pretty robust operational process there so if you are a very small company,

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Hotspots

or you’re a medium sized company, and you want access to it, it’s remarkably easy. There’s not really any bureaucracy or, what bogs a lot of these places down is you have to jump through so many hoops before you’re allowed to be admitted to it. They streamlined the process and it’s become a really successful space, 65 to 70% occupied and I can’t heap much more praise on them than that.

Everyone was very skeptical but it’s a good example of success.

Corporate Location Consultancy

The marketing of the Newcastle hotspot has been very successful

“You need your marketing to be effective in order to get in front of the right people nationally and internationally. Of course once you get past the gatekeeper the marketing becomes almost irrelevant because you’re talking technical details about air changes and all that kind of stuff. But in the first instance you have to get your foot in the door, and Newcastle have done that very well because beyond the brochures and online presence there is the impression with the Biosphere that it’s part of a bigger opportunity in the Helix Development. You don’t ever get the impression that it’s a standalone building, that you’re going to be on your own.

Instead you feel connected to the city centre with lots of research happening around it and there’s lots of activity and it looks a good place to be. That’s the brand. In contrast with Alderley Park where you get the impression very quickly that you’re on your own out there. And that is it. If you’re building a company, you want to be around other people, that’s half the fun of it. The Biosphere have effective cluster wide marketing and they’ve done it really well.”

Corporate Location Consultancy

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Perceptions of Cheshire Business leaders have very little awareness or knowledge of Cheshire or its constituent towns as economic entities.

Although business leaders have wider experience than students and young talent their pre-conceptions are similar and typically limited to rural affluence, footballer’s wives and tourism. While this is not negative in an active sense it is crystal clear that for most Cheshire will not be

“The biggest challenge that you’ve got is to get Cheshire on the map. I don’t think it’s even in a lot of people’s awareness when

pro-actively considered as a viable location to establish

they’re looking at business properties. It

a business entity, and if Cheshire is introduced as an

may simply not occur to people. If you can

option the presentation will have to work hard against preconceptions and build a positive sentiment.

“All I think of Cheshire is “up north”. Where is that? That’s Manchester, isn’t it? So? And yeah, that’s about it.”

present it to someone, they won’t reject it, if you can say, look, you know, it’s already a hub for financial services. It’s got good transport links, things like that. It’s just about raising awareness.”

Financial Services Financial Services

“It’s a suburb, isn’t it? Like Surrey. Surrey has

Even business leaders who have subsidiary locations in

become renowned for the Chelsea foreign

Cheshire, such as financial services operations in Chester,

football stars. Same with Cheshire”

of the wider region from an economic point of view.

and biotech in Alderley Park have little or no appreciation

Manufacturing

“I think it’s quite a rural area with pretty countryside. I wouldn’t have thought about Cheshire as an economic area. It’s not Liverpool. It’s not Manchester. It’s not a thriving economic hub. It’s kind of the countryside between these big northern cities. And so I kind of think Alderley Edge and Footballer’s Wives.”

Consultancy

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Perceptions of Cheshire

“I’ve been to the Chester business park where there is a concentration of financial services, M&S was a customer of mine. Everyone seemed to drive there and I can’t remember if there’s public transport or not.

But you know, they seem to be able to attract a lot of decent staff.

You could get to Manchester-ish from there so I think some people. probably the more executive positions came down from those areas.

Cheshire’s quite big, Chester which I don’t know that well nowadays but it’s not an obvious business area. For me more, sort of off the bat, I think of it more as a tourist/ locals type area.”

Business Services

There is also a perception that the Cheshire operations are back office and rather sleepy and a long way from the business vibrancy of London.

“I’m probably being harsh but a lot of people are saying that the career path in Chester is like the graveyard of your career. But again, you do get some people who are quite happy being in a career graveyard even, you know, youngish people, they just want to do whatever it is they’re doing day in day out, get their paycheck and then disappear”.

Financial Services

A much more rounded and positive appreciation comes, as would be expected, from those who live in or close to the region.

“I find it a fantastic place to live because you’re close enough to the motorways, you’re close enough to Manchester which is an enormously resourceful place for all kinds of different leisure. You know, anything that you need really but you are within five minutes of being out in the middle of nowhere. I love going out with my dog and out and about. We regularly take advantage of what this County’s got to offer.”

Business Services

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Perceptions of Cheshire

“I think (Cheshire) is fragmented because there are areas such as where I live in Bramhall which is a stone’s throw away from the likes of Alderley Edge and Wilmslow and they are obviously synonymous with your Housewives of Cheshire typeset . But you’ve got areas such as Macclesfield for example where you’ve got the old industrial part, and real strong railway links and the old mills. That is a very different area to some of the more well to do areas that are within Cheshire and obviously Cheshire goes right across over towards Ellesmere Port as well. It’s a vast area, very varied in terms of the types of towns and villages”.

Business Services

Clearly for Cheshire to be pro-actively considered for inward business investment, domestically or internationally requires a much stronger economic identity and awareness tuned to the business and lifestyle needs of business leaders. A clear proposition is needed with proof points exemplified through case studies and the alignment clarified with the Northern Powerhouse which has name recognition but little sense of place beyond Manchester.

“If you’re working in the southeast, for big corporate as senior management, the moment someone mentions Cheshire and the Northwest I would guess guest it’s is poo-pooed before even the research is done. So if the perception is altered before reality kicks in that would help the situation because at least it passes the consideration phase. I was asked to go and look at Kellogg’s probably two years ago but my first thoughts of moving to Manchester were very unsure. There’s a number of factors going in its favour, but I don’t think people necessarily join all those dots together because they have a perception still of what that part of the world is compared to the southeast which is a long way from the truth of the reality.

Manufacturing

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Perceptions of Cheshire

“We have done some work around Warrington and we are working with a client in Chester at the moment. So we do know its relative strengths and weaknesses. But what is the brand? You haven’t got a big city that you can pin it to that’s even nationally recognised, let alone internationally recognized. Of course every LEP has the same objectives to attract high growth high value business but name a town in Britain that doesn’t have a reasonable core of financial services, and they’re not in the same league as somewhere like Swindon where you have the HQ of Nationwide with 5000 people working there whereas in Chester there’s probably less than that working across all the financial services companies. Really the only sector that stands out in Cheshire is the one that dare not speak its name which is logistics around Warrington. Logistics is probably one of the sectors that’s still growing, we’re doing lots of deals, and as in every other sector, there will be digital transformation.

The Cheshire brand is not strong and the towns are even weaker.

My suggestion is that you should promote case studies around businesses that are exploiting the strength of the area. Then promote accessibility and that it’s a nice place to live because not everyone want to be in London, the universities which may not be first tier but that’s OK with young people and some of the technical skills – Radbroke Hall for instance which is Barclays IT centre.

Find out what successful businesses based in Cheshire are actually exploiting that makes them successful. Based on that they can get a distinctive proposition together, building out from small winnable initiatives. Winning a Microsoft Technical Centre doesn’t happen very often, anywhere” Corporate Location Consultancy

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Post Covid Opportunity These interviews with business leaders took place after around 2 months of Covid lockdown.

Initially leaders were consumed with tactical activity to

A significant positive for business is the relative ease with

identify the business at risk, maintain productivity through

which the office workforce has adapted to working from

remote working and furloughing where required while

home. In most cases productivity is reported as matching

maintaining a sense of purpose and positive spirit for

that before lockdown and many staff are finding this a

the workforce and customers. At first the lockdown was

preferable work: life balance. Indications are that upwards

expected to last no more than a few weeks but it has

of 30% of office staff would prefer to be based from home

become apparent that in many cases normal working will

on a permanent basis. The rapid advent of Zoom and

not resume quickly. Workplaces were already at capacity

Teams has replaced face to face meetings and significant

so social distancing means the whole workforce cannot

time, and expense, is saved by avoiding the commute.

be present at one time and exposing the workforce to

Perhaps of most importance the most senior executives

mass public transport is also an inappropriate risk. Most

are forced into the same experience and to their surprise

businesses are now not expecting offices to open before

finding it works well. This is a massive discontinuity and

September and in many cases later. Manufacturing,

acceleration of what was already a slow trend towards a

distribution, call centre and retail facilities are also

more relaxed approach to working from home.

affected with measures being taken for social distancing which affect throughput.

“I’m on the committee that has been

At the point of interview leaders are taking stock of what

planning the move away from our current

is clearly going to be a disruption that will persist well into next year and rethinking their strategies. Customer

office to save the lease cost and put people

needs have changed so the customer offer needs to

together in teams with hot desking, sharing

adjust with for instance an acceleration of online delivery and servicing, the business pipeline and income is under

desks. You can imagine that’s not going to

pressure in many cases and the salesforce is having to

be happening anytime soon. Now we’ve got

adjust to maintaining relationships remotely.

people saying, no we want to work from home all the time, this is great, we’re really loving it. And so the problem might solve itself, because if people really want to do that, and it doesn’t harm productivity then we don’t need the space”.

Financial Services

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Post Covid Opportunity

“I cannot believe this, but I can start work, you know, at nine o’clock and go on till seven, and I still have spent less time than would on a normal day because I used to spend two hours travelling in the morning and two in the evening” Technology Services

This is not to minimize the very real challenges that such a significant and wholesale shift has precipitated. For instance: Some staff do not have suitable home environments for instance young talent in shared accommodation, those without childcare and those with poor home internet.

“I’ve noticed a team member that I’ve spoken to a sat on a sofa or sat around a kitchen table trying to work with their wives, actually, many of the younger generation, particularly in London, would prefer to be in an office environment where it’s easier for them to work. They can work more effectively because they’re not having to share a home space with family and flatmates. Childcare is also important” Manufacturing

“So someone lives in a one bedroom flat, and all they’ve got is a bed in a bedsit, that kind of thing. Trying to work in that environment is uncomfortable, and also there’s a general duty of care towards that employee to make sure that they do have the space work, but yeah that’s when you start offering flexible working. What I thought about is a small subscription to like a WeWork.”

Technology

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Post Covid Opportunity

Staff living alone may have suffered mental distress from the isolation, and other staff including senior executives suffering “zoom burnout” from long hours hunched over a screen

“There clearly are challenges that sit around remote working, some of which are quite fundamental. Quite how those are resolved is an interesting question. I think I know

“I’m on back to back on Zoom calls every single day all day and it definitely affects your mental health and it affects your

what the issues are but the answers have to be defined and maybe are individual.”

Consultancy

physical health from a stance of being glued to a screen all day versus actually looking at people as well and experiencing real life, and you kind of get sick of it.”

Financial Services

Some staff are naturally gregarious and the social life of the office is important to them both emotionally but also in how they are effective at work A recognition that some tasks are best performed face to face including individual feedback and coaching, creativity and building sales relationships.

New workarounds will be needed short term but likely these will also be better face to face.

“I wouldn’t mind getting back in because

Young talent may well feel that the office is their

of the working from home burnout as they

preferred work location as it provides an effective

call it is affecting me. It’s definitely affecting

learn on the job by observing and emulating seniors,

me hours wise and a lot of people are getting told to take time off. Nobody wants to because everyone’s mad, crazy busy, but

working base, an office social scene and the ability to being coached and learning from direct assessment and feedback Some report that presence is an important part of being recognized on the career ladder

it’s like, take time off because you won’t keep going. We’re having lots of webinars

Business leaders are assessing their experience and

on mental health awareness, just to ensure

considering at board level the potential implications

people understand it and see the signs, and

immediate indications are that there will be a massive

know what to do.”

Financial Services

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on post-Covid business and premises strategy. The dislocation in previous thinking and this represents an opportunity for Cheshire to lead the debate and gain cut through as an economic region in the new world of business.

C H E S H I RE & WA RR I N GTON LEP

Post Covid Opportunity

While no business has yet finalized its thinking the strands that are emerging are: A recognition that most office based staff could work perfectly effectively at home, and that an optimum and simple solution maybe a flexible approach where the bulk of work is done from home (or indeed anywhere) but when face to face working is beneficial then staff will travel to that meeting – perhaps once a week.

“We’re always gonna need a central office, I believe, as there are certain types of meetings that we need to do on a face to face basis working in a face to face manner is so different to Zoom calls. We’ve decided that we’re going to have a work from home policy for the rest of 2020. However, our offices will likely open up towards the end of Q3, and it is up to us to then have a maximum of 25% of the employees in the office at any one time. Customers can come to the office to start visiting and use our meeting rooms. Our meeting rooms are sufficiently sized, thankfully, to enable that, but then we’ll need to ensure that it’s spaced out and that we’re taking all precautions possible to get business done. I’m also a strong believer that we are going to now be enabling flexible working like we never did before. It’s been over two months now and we’ve been so effective, so productive, so in demand and done so well, not just sales, but everyone has done so well. We’re going to be having a lot more flexible working as a company moving forwards.”

Financial Services

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Post Covid Opportunity

This changes the premises strategy for offices from a large centralized office with computers and desks and scarce meeting space to smaller satellite offices set up as meeting spaces. These can be in various configurations, but support private one on ones, customer meetings, creativity, socializing, hot desking for those that need it and larger gatherings of teams.

“What I’m hearing is the idea that over time

“There is a rebalance between living and

the role of the office will change. I suppose

working in the city to suddenly realising

some of this was happening already, but it

that I can live in Surrey or I can live in

will go much further and faster. Instead of

Cheshire and still work in Manchester. I

being a place where you come in to sit at

can be home three days a week, and I’m

a desk and do something on a computer,

investing my money locally. And then we

you can do that from home or indeed

just use the office as a place to have that

from anywhere. But what you will do is

creativity and specialist functionality”

probably once a week come into an office

Consultancy

environment, which is structured for meetings. So it’s more of a purpose designed meeting environment. You come in to meet people, whether they’re, suppliers or stakeholders, or indeed your own colleagues, some of which might be in one to ones some of it might be in much bigger groups. You’ll be looking to exploit the advantages of face to face in that environment whether that’s decision making or creativity rather than simply a place where you use the company’s computers”.

Consultancy

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Post Covid Opportunity

what you will do is probably once a week come into an office environment, which is structured for meetings. So it’s more of a purpose designed meeting environment.

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Post Covid Opportunity

There is an expectation that over time less expensive city centre space is required, which could lead to significant cost savings. Clearly property strategy cannot be unbundled quickly as buildings are owned or leased over long periods

“It’s been a discussion at board level, do we need to renew the lease where we are? What are our options? Seriously looking at whether we stay in London, have a smaller office and have more home working, or whether we relocate out of London because it’s difficult to predict what office life is going to be like, for everyone I suppose at the moment.”

Consultancy

“We are looking at smaller satellite type offices, so for instance we moved all of our customer service and back office up to Edinburgh.

Broadway Park and Edinburgh has got quite a few technology firms to help us with the skill sets we were looking for. We left the commercial functions in London, all of marketing and the management team are in London, just because that’s kind of where we saw the commercial hub being. If we started to see that there was the expertise and the talent in Cheshire for marketing, and the ability to further develop your career by being based up in that part of the world with the right learning facilities and supplier networks then you could say right, that becomes the commercial hub and keep a London office as a training centre or we move back office finance and commercial finance and customer services team down to the West Country. Because you can connect so well remotely the world is going to change in six months time when we get back to whatever the new normal is, and then sort out the role of offices.

Although trying to look after the culture of the organization and the ability to brainstorm and think proactively and strategize will be impacted by that I have no doubt that the role of offices will change.

Manufacturing

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Post Covid Opportunity

The WeWork flexible space model may work well in this future as the required configuration can be adjusted dynamically based a pay per use basis.

“When we moved offices one of our regrets is we didn’t have enough meeting space. You’d find half the time you’d be sitting the cafe at half past eight in the morning, having coffees and meeting people because the meeting rooms were already booked up. So it would be good to have an office where you’ve got flexible meeting space, and you book in when you need it rather than paying for rent for that whole floor. If no one’s in on a Friday, we are paying for office space we don’t really need”.

Consultancy

A consequence may be a partial dismantling of the pull of London and rebalancing towards quality of life. One business leader in London reported that about half his workforce comes from the North and would find living there attractive provided they could continue with their challenging and remunerative jobs. We have seen from talent interviews that particularly at later lifestages with children and with elderly parents there is a pull back to home town and being closer to the wider family.

For employers this model opens up a wide and potentially global talent pool rather than restricting talent to those in commutable range of a central office.

“There is untapped resource all over the country that is ready to work but can’t physically get to the box that you say you need them to work in. If you take the shackles off then you’ve got resources across the entire country. Why restrict yourself to the talent that’s prepared to commute from a catchment with a 20 to 30 mile radius of your building.”

Retail

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Post Covid Opportunity

“So you’re based at home, wherever that is in the world. And there will be satellite offices.

Instead of one big office you have satellite offices which are more like a meeting venue.

You can see that as massively increasing flexibility and resilience but also the available talent pool. The talent we really want to attract are senior experienced managers and high flying people from wherever they are in the world. So why should we restrict themselves to 30 miles around Hounslow?”

Consultancy

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Post Covid Opportunity

“Living away from London would have been an issue in the past but would not be an issue now. I’ve actually got an employee of mine who moved to Norwich from London two or three weeks ago, she decided to upscale her property, she’s now got a dog and she decided to get rid of her flat that she was renting in London at whatever price it was and getting a far bigger place with room for the dog and an outdoor space and so on. And we are promoting that type of flexible working. I’ve also got another employee who is looking to purchase who went back to her family home, up north near Liverpool. She’s asked us, what do you think about it? And, you know, if it was the past, we’d say it’s going to be hard to get in the office five days a week. How are you going to manage that? Are you going to take the night train on the Sunday and stay over? But now the conversation is - yeah, absolutely you should do that. That’s right for you and your life, just we would require you to be in the office when needed, it could be a day a week but we want to make sure that we have exposure on a regular basis, especially based on the job role that you have. You need internal interaction plus customer facing interaction too. So we’re a lot more flexible with this now” Technology

In this context the location of Cheshire has much to offer as quality of life is acknowledged as high, with accessibility to cities and beyond; countryside; attractive towns and manageable costs compared to London.

We can imagine Cheshire taking the lead in the coming debate about the future of business post-covid with the benefits of the area set in the context of the discontinuity.

This debate will be on the business leadership agenda throughout the remainder of this year and beyond and will enable cut through for Cheshire as an economic area with relevance and benefits to consider.

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Diagnosis 1 2 48

This study assesses the perceptions of business leaders towards the C&W region when considering expansion and relocation investment. The conclusion is that C&W does not have a clear economic identity and both awareness and knowledge are very low. This is the case for both Cheshire and the constituent towns.

The low level of background perception relates to pleasant countryside, general affluence, television portrayals and tourism. There is a feeling it is a nice place to live, but there will be few jobs.

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Diagnosis

3 4 5

Most can locate Cheshire as close to Liverpool and Manchester and some see Cheshire as offering commuting to the cities, but it is the cities that offer the economic opportunities.

Although “Northern Powerhouse” has positive perceptions and high recognition it is not specifically associated with Cheshire and if anywhere is short-hand for Manchester.

The sectoral hotspots located in Cheshire are not outstanding in scale and facilities on a national scale and do not have the prominence to be top of a list for business leaders. As an example this is Alderley Park’s profile in contrast to the Golden Triangle, and even below regional hotspots such as Stevenage, Glasgow and Newcastle.

6

Cheshire has no attraction to top talent, the high-flying top 2% of graduates who go on to lead businesses and who instead want to be in the centre of the action, typically London. However jobs come first for mainstream talent and if the jobs are there talent will locate there. A greater challenge is attracting senior experienced management who do not want to relocate and uproot family and schooling. Future more flexible working arrangements may resolve this for Cheshire.

7

The low level of awareness of Cheshire as an economic region results in a very low level of consideration. If a business board is presented with an option in Cheshire then perceptions need to be overcome before the rational and objective factors can be judged. As these decisions are often, in the final analysis, emotive Cheshire will find itself on the back foot.

8

Business itself is in a fundamental state of change at this moment from Covid. The sustained requirements to work from home, the likely very extended period of social distancing and capital scarcity is affecting every part of every business. Boards are debating the possible future shape of their businesses and the resultant premises strategies and it is likely that fundamental change will result. There is an opportunity for Cheshire to enter this debate as a thought leader and showcase the benefits it can offer to the new shape of business.

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Recommendation

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Recommendation

A clear brand identify, awareness and perceptions are prerequisites for attracting business and gaining consideration for inward investment and growth.

Rational appraisal will follow but awareness and perceptions lead the process. This is a classic marketing requirement – understand the needs of the prospects, align the authentic benefits of the offer and generate a compelling proposition which can be communicated consistently.

We propose that Cheshire should use the current discontinuity to rebrand as the thought leader in post-Covid business strategies, aligning Cheshire’s benefits as an economic region and as a great place to live to the opportunity to restructure business. Leading this debate provides cut through and a channel to dialogue with business leaders.

It will be important to add substance by communicating Cheshire’s business success stories including big name brands and high growth businesses within key sectors. Using these exemplar case histories will highlight the authentic benefits of Cheshire.

Consideration should be given to creating a new brand identity rather than utilizing the Cheshire, Cheshire and Warrington or town names. The low awareness and lack of economic relevance underlying these names does not help in gaining traction. A new identity perhaps aligned with the Northern Powerhouse brand is likely to be more effective.

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Investors

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Investors

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PLACE MARKETING EXTERNAL P E R C E PT I O N S ST U D Y The View from Students & Young Talent

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Students & Young Talent

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Introduction Cheshire and Warrington LEP wish to gain a clear and independent view of external perceptions about the region.

This insight will help determine how to create effective messaging to attract talent and businesses and support economic growth objectives.

This section of the overall study examines the views of final year high-calibre university students studying STEM subjects and of young talent (aged under 35) in work. The latter includes both the highest qualified and those without such strong educational performance in STEM. As well as understanding awareness levels and perceptions of the Cheshire and Warrington area, we explore what factors these people look for when managing their careers and identifying places to live and work. The study involved 11 in-depth interviews with students and 15 with talent, typically lasting one hour via Zoom.

This qualitative study was supported by quantitative research amongst wider groups of students and talent based in Cheshire and Warrington and outside the area.

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Students & Young Talent

Executive Summary This study examines the role of perceptions and motivations among students and young talent in their choice of location for work, living and socialising.

Students were split into two segments – High Flyers and Hard Workers and an additional segment – Mainstream was added for young talent.

High Flyers account for the very top STEM tier with an outstanding academic record and strong all round leadership attributes. They are highly employable and face enviable options which they are prepared to explore, and will switch with confidence. They may well decide not to follow a career in areas directly related to their degree subjects. They have clear preferences to be engaged at the centre of large organisations with fast track training in vibrant world class cities which usually means London.

As young talent they drive their careers forward and will progress quickly in responsibility and remuneration towards senior leadership. Although approached by headhunters they wish to remain in world class cities during this part of their career and will be unlikely to consider Cheshire, or even Manchester.

Hard Workers have strong STEM academics and have attended good universities but because they are not outstanding they are not usually presented with choices.

Generally they find good career roles but do not have the luxury of choice over location. Instead they relocate to

Young talent is very mobile and has fewer attachments to prevent them moving for employment. However there is a deeply felt pull to roots and family which has become more visible during the Covid crisis. Many do not want to be out of reach of family and friends, which is one factor which makes London more attractive because of its connectivity.

As life stages progress parental help with children, and caring for parents as they get older becomes important.

Covid has affected everyone, from students who have had job offers rescinded to talent who are furloughed. In the forthcoming period it is likely that many young people will be looking for meaningful roles and maybe living at home with parents.

Cheshire and it’s constituent town have very low awareness and knowledge as an economic entity is close to zero. The background perception of Cheshire is limited to vague feelings around countryside and affluence, influenced by television programmes like Real Housewives of Cheshire and tourist visits to Chester.

wherever the job takes them. They progress steadily in responsibility and remuneration. Their location therefore depends on availability of suitable employment rather than their choice of region.

Mainstream represent the large majority of STEM graduates who have average academcs and attend universities with less prestigious STEM records. They often find it hard to get started in career roles and may take time out or take filler jobs. They may lack the confidence and resources to risk roles that are located nationally. Once in career employment their progression may be slow. As a consequence they may continue living at home until they move in with partners and struggle financially when they start families. Their location is from the start more likely to be close to the family roots.

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Cheshire will require the creation of an economic brand and raised awareness as an attractive place to live and work C H E S H I RE & WA RR I N GTON LEP

Executive Summary

There is very little awareness of Cheshire hotspots

from the Covid crisis because many students and young

although some financial services talent have been to

talent are either “on hold” or re-evaluating their priorities.

customers or branches in Chester. No one had heard

They are necessarily based at home and are becoming

of Alderley Park and none had seen career jobs or

more family centric. Remote working may not be very

internships located in Cheshire.

attractive to young people starting their careers but there

The preconception of Cheshire as rural and expensive with little industry or employment opportunities

are positives around cost of living and being able to join businesses while living anywhere.

means that the region is not targeted as a place to

The pull to roots and “home” is a strong undercurrent

find work or live. The primary determinant for location

and offers an opportunity to Cheshire to attract back

is the availability of jobs, but without appropriate pre-

Hard Workers and others, particularly once they reach

conceptions it will be serendipity if they are found in the

parenthood. Mainstream are less mobile and may never

region and there will be initial concern over rural isolation

have left but would be relatively easy to attract back.

and cost of living.

To attract students and young talent to actively consider Cheshire will require the creation of an economic brand and raised awareness as an attractive place to live and work.

This will include awareness of large employers and hotspots and the portrayal of an attractive lifestyle around family and a vibrant social life. The close access to Liverpool and Manchester should be regarded as assets.

There is potentially a window of opportunity arising

Post-Covid locational flexibility may offer the platform Cheshire needs to communicate the benefits of living in a wonderful part of the world, close to two major cities and through remote working being able to access high paying career jobs. For those with family and friends in the North and consider it their emotional home there is a double attraction.

The Covid discontinuity provides the opportunity for Cheshire and Warrington to capitalize on the new locational flexibility and family centricity by becoming thought leaders in the new business environment. Showing that Cheshire has the quality of life, accessibility to work and family and economic vibrancy will resonate with talent.

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Student Findings

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Student Findings

High Flyers and Hard Workers The students interviewed could easily and usefully be split into “high flyers” and “hard workers”.

High flyers have excellent A levels or International Baccalaureate (IB), are at the very top science and maths universities, accessed valued internships and through their outstanding track record have the luxury and confidence of choice. Having choices does not make the decisions easier, but high flyers will try alternatives, learn then successfully and rapidly move on.

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High Flyers and Hard Workers

“I was Head Girl at Greshams (public school) and decided that I wanted to go to St. Andrews to study French and management and I did a bit of maths there as well. I had a year there and then decided that I was more suited to pursue a degree in science. So I decided to reapply to different universities and then chose to go to Durham on their natural sciences degree, where I started off doing maths and chemistry for my first year and then changed into chemistry and business in second year. In first year, I was fortunate enough to get a BP stem scholarship, and I also interned with Citibank last summer because I thought that finance might be something that I wanted to go into. So I had 10 weeks with them last summer in their markets division but decided after that that finance wasn’t what I wanted to do. So last year, I applied to accountancy graduate schemes and was lucky enough to get offered places on a few of those. With Covid I want to wait and hear what they’re planning on doing in the current environment before I make any decisions” High Flyer – Natural Sciences

“I went to a state school but St Albans is not very normal like a state school would usually be as it’s a very good school so I was still pretty privileged academically” High Flyer - Sustainable Energy

Hard workers despite being academically strong in STEM subjects do not have the same choices, found it hard or impossible to access internships and generally will feel happy if they can just find a relevant first-step career job.

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Student Findings

Together these two groups represent the cream of graduate talent and in the subsequent talent-in-work interviews we widened the scope to include a third category of “mainstream” graduates with STEM degrees who went to less prestigious universities and were not

“We had a lot of career advice at school.

We did tests, which suggest which careers you might want to go down but I feel they

outstanding academically.

were a bit early. So when I got mine out the

Most students have by their own admission made only

other day I had changed so much to where

partial progress in thinking through post-graduation employment options. For most their thinking is shallow and focused on “getting a first job”. They may have talked to careers offices and gone to career fairs in university but exploring this with them there is little depth.

I’m thinking now. My brother is four years older than me so I speak to him quite a lot about careers and he’s in finance so he impacted my decision to go down that route

“My master’s degree university has not provided any career help and maybe that’s why I’m struggling now. It’s like you graduated and goodbye, oh and we deleted your email”.

at first. And then I guess, with my decisions, it’s been the internships and my wider friendship circle rather than any career advice at Durham”.

High Flyer – Natural Sciences

Hard Worker - Energy

“The renewable energy world is one where you know people and understand it from the “I’ve given career quite a lot of thought, looking at internships which I didn’t get and especially starting this year. There is an entire module at university based on employability and professional skills.”

Hard Worker – Maths and Computing

inside. As a person who loves to research things, this is going to sound slightly stalkerish but I would reverse engineer people’s careers and find out a whole list of different companies that they worked at and what they did to be successful.

Then I’ve compiled all the companies and

Students, particularly high flyers, who have completed placement years or internships have a deeper perspective and have formed clearer views on job type and location,

people into a big spreadsheet with lots of different information and notes so that I

they know there are many choices ahead and have the confidence to explore them. Note: internships are formative experiences both of employers and location so sponsoring internships might be a route for C&W.

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High Flyers and Hard Workers

know exactly who to approach and how to engage them based on my interests. I did an internship at EGNIDA, which is a low carbon energy consulting company. I’m going to finish my masters and see which area I want to be in. I’m very organised” High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

“Imperial puts on a very good selection careers introductions and fairs both in different departments and then also the general Imperial one, and also the department puts on an engineering in action seminar each week. Different company will come in and do a lecture about a product that they have or some research that they’re doing and you can talk directly to them. I have been doing an internship in Cambridge that’s really helping me work out what I want to do” High Flyer – Mechanical Engineering

Most seem risk averse – looking for training and support, see it as a first job to get experience and make a start and would like the comfort and career platform of a “known” brand employer.

“A young company is kind of scary because they’ve haven’t got a track record. And maybe if you were to apply for jobs in the future, they wouldn’t know the name on your CV. The attraction of a bigger company is that they have a track record, you know what they’re like or at least assume you do. It’s stability and training and their big name kind of helps you get your career off the ground” Hard Worker - Energy

“I wanted to be on a big firm graduate scheme because I feel students at my age can quite easily become unsupported if you’re not following a proper scheme. So I made sure to get on the graduate pathway”.

High Flyer – Natural Sciences

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Student Findings

Impact of Covid on Expectations “Hard Workers” have quite low immediate expectations and are worried about the economic impact of Covid-19 on their prospects. Some are considering a Masters as an alternative to taking immediate employment.

“I think before COVID and everything that’s happened, I would have said going in at graduate entry, if I’m not promoted after, say two years then I’ll be leaving. But I will be entering the job market through a recession so I can’t be that picky? We were told at University a couple of weeks ago here’s the facts, when graduates came out into the recession of 2008 this is what happened to graduate jobs – they tanked. So my expectations are realistic” Hard Worker – Food Science

“I just got my Master’s results back so I want to start applying for jobs but with Covid it’s very limited in terms of the job market, there’s hardly anything going on in the job market. Ideally I’d like to go into drug discovery research, but at the moment I will look at anything.”

High Flyer – Biochemistry

“Corona directly affects everyone doesn’t it, the entire economy and job market? So I’m not sure how this might work out. I may have to do an MSc” Hard Worker – Maths and Computing

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Impact of Covid on Expectations

I just got my Master’s results back so I want to start applying for jobs but with Covid it’s very limited in terms of the job market, there’s hardly anything...

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Student Findings

Home Town “Home town” is generally where they have been brought up in the family home and gone to school and is quite distinct from the university town.

Home Town offers offers a sense of comfort in familiarity – you know where everything is, you have friends and maybe family there. This persists even though they may not have been back since school and family have moved elsewhere. Although Hard Workers and Mainstream

“Durham has always just been Uni to me.

Sometimes when I’m at home, going back to Durham, I’d say to my friends, I’m coming

students are attracted to the idea of living and working

home so I do use the terms interchangeably,

in their Home Town or University location they anticipate

but Durham, it’s more just the university

that career jobs may not be available there and will search for and move to wherever the best available job is located.

High Flyers reject Home Town as a career location because their expectations are set on a world class city.

“I grew up in Sandbach which is quite small. So we would go shopping in Crewe.

town because I knew I’d only be there for three years, you never really form a home attachment to it”.

High Flyer – Natural Sciences

I went to college in Northwich. My parents have moved away but Sandbach is my

“When I say my hometown is St Albans that

home reference place in an emotional

is true, but I grew up in a family where my

way. It’s where I went to school and I feel

mum’s side live in Canada, my dad’s side

orientated when I go back because I know

of family lives in Newcastle. I definitely

where everything is. That’s where a lot of

wouldn’t want to be in St Albans again. You

my school friends live and I have a lot of

know, I would like to be somewhere with

memories of we went here and we did this.

more people and things I’m interested in”

It was always a good day in my memory.

High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

That’s where I grew up. Logically, it’s my reference point.”

Hard Worker – Energy

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Home Town

When asked the question “When searching for a job where would you consider?” , this is how each group answered:

When searching for a job where would you consider?

Students around Cheshire and Warrington National International Hotspot My University Town My Home Town Anywhere

Students Outside of the area National International Hotspot My University Town My Home Town Anywhere

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Student Findings

The Ideal First Job The job itself is the over-riding factor in choice particularly the content of the role, the career path and the fit with the business and culture. For most this is more important in their mind than location and initial salary.

“The type of projects that I’d be working on would be the most important thing for me. So I’d ideally want to be working on something that would have a large impact. And that could be a large impact financially for the organisation or a large impact in terms of the scope and the number of people that my policies and my interventions would be influencing. And then the second most important factor would be the other people at the company. So if there were some known industry professionals who were working at that company who I could have access to and talk to and be mentored by them that would definitely be a huge draw for choosing one job over the other. That would be a much bigger draw than a salary bump” Hard Worker – Psychology

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The Ideal First Job

The type of projects that I’d be working on would be the most important thing for me

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Student Findings

Job First or Location First?

The job itself is the over-riding factor in choice particularly the content of the role, the career path and the fit with the business and culture. For most this is more important in their mind than location and initial salary.

For the right job they will consider any location but location is still a very important factor in that individuals do have preferences for location such as access to a big city (usually London), some prefer the idea of a smaller city (such as Edinburgh or Cambridge), some are very averse to commuting. Few want countryside or a village location at least at this point in their lives and instead all anticipate finding jobs in cities and they do not want a

“Job first, for sure. I’m still young, I’m not starting a family yet so it’s more important that my decision is based on my career as opposed to my home life for now.”

Hard Worker - Psychology

commute. The rolling hills metaphor for Cheshire is not attractive at this stage in their lives.

High flyers in most cases want to locate to London, or

Hard Workers and Mainstream students are very aware

in one participant’s case Edinburgh, as they seek top

that they may find it difficult to secure a job that will get

career ladder jobs in the centre of the action and adopt

them started in their careers so are less likely to start with

a ‘location first’ approach. Additionally, some want

assumptions about where the job will be located.

to be within striking distance of home town or other relationships and again this can be a reason to be in London where transport links are good.

“I will go for the job first and then worry about living because I don’t think you can be fussy. I think at this point I can’t turn down a job just because I only want to live in one specific place. I definitely want to keep every option open and will look for any job

“The first decision was location because I knew I wanted to work in London after leaving uni. If the company didn’t have an office in London then I wouldn’t apply”.

High Flyer – Natural Sciences

wherever and then if it was my dream job, I’d go wherever.”

Hard Worker – Biomedical Science

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Job First or Location First?

“I would go for location first, choose some places

When choosing a place to live, it was asked

London, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh and

and then a place to live around the job or a

then try to find the job. If I just look out for the job, then I could end up somewhere I didn’t want to be and I am going to be employable so it’s my choice” High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

whether people would choose a Job first place to live and then find a job, this is how each groups answered:

Find a job first and then look for a place to live, or location first and then look for a job?

Students around Cheshire and

Most students are not expecting to find employment around

Warrington

their university town, although for many it would be an attractive location. They see the university location as temporary and expect to relocate in order to find work – so they are ‘job first’. One high flyer student was very taken with Edinburgh and had a strong

25.6%

preference to stay, but most high flyers set their sights on London and are ‘location first’.

“I’ve really enjoyed living in Edinburgh for the past

74.4%

four years, and I didn’t really want to leave because my girlfriend is here so I chose my employers local office rather than London. If I’d gone to London, it’s 7000 people in one office but I think starting my

Students Outside of the area

career in a setting of about 300 people is a bit more personal. I can get to know senior people who make decisions including clients who will be in slightly

37%

smaller firms too and get more varied experience, because I think I might want to go into the SME market later on. So I’m thinking about skills,

63%

experience and contacts.”

High Flyer - Economics Location First

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Student Findings

Hotspots The more organised and experienced students are aware of “hotspots” for their discipline – such as: London (90%) Cambridge (30%) Oxford (20%) Bristol (20%) Manchester (20%)

This awareness is very diffuse and intangible unless the student has done a placement or internship. Hotspots are not targeted as such although high flyers in particular are looking for well established businesses, largely in London. Only one student was prepared to consider a start-up. Hard workers are usually open to considering jobs nationally so have not specifically targeted hotspots. With some help students can articulate why a hotspot would be a good place to work and live over and above the specific job, but finding the job comes first in the thinking.

“Around Cambridge is a hot spot for engineering consultancies and small businesses. From looking for internships I know the majority are on business parks outside Cambridge. I went for a place last year that was a very swanky office in Battersea but they struck me is the type of people that sort of maybe should be out in Cambridge and pay less rent. Lots of like-minded people. The growth rates are big and you can hop to another business to move the career on. If there were people on my course who are looking to put together a company to do something, then that would definitely be something I would choose over joining the consultancy gravy train”.

High Flyer – Mechanical Engineering

“London would be the main hotspot, just about all of the main relevant science based companies for me are in London. And outside of London, honestly would probably only be Warwick, and Oxford. But yeah, like 90 plus percent chance I’ll be working or living in London.”

Hard Worker – Psychology

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Hotspots

“Sustainable energy is big in the UK around Oxford

The results show a lack of actual

and Cambridge, you have a group there, and Bristol

the groups, when asked whether they were

and obviously London is a big one. If you go outside the UK, places in California, Australia is important in research even though the government isn’t supportive. Then also there is a group around Berlin and Scandinavia”

High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

knowledge of Hotspot locations from all aware of hotspots for their industries, these are the answers:

Are you aware of any ‘hotspots’ for your discipline?

Students around Cheshire and Warrington

I think the best locations for finance jobs in the UK are London and Edinburgh. Then there are lots of jobs in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool which

27.9%

are getting an increased number of financial firms coming in, especially Leeds in the recent years”

72.1%

High Flyer – Maths and Computing

“I have a few friends who have got jobs in bio-

Students Outside of the area

consulting in Cambridge through postgraduate training. It has strong research and institutions so they will have a greater pull to people wanting a postgraduate degree. I did consider originally

36.7%

doing a masters or PhD. So the main places I would consider would be the leading medical science

63.3%

universities, particularly in a biological sense.

Bristol, because I know several people from London who’ve chosen to leave London and the next best

Yes

No

place for them is Bristol where there’s a lot of industry. And then London obviously because it’s London, UCL and Kings. We get to know about them by word of mouth really, people studying there” Hard Worker – Biomedical Science

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Student Findings

London London is by far the location that is most likely to be targeted, particularly by High Flyers.

“It’s our capital, it’s a cool city, it’s fairly

me if someone said Oh, I’m looking for a job

near home. For me, it’s only an hour or so

in Birmingham or I’m looking for a job in

on the train to home but far enough away

Manchester. It seems like a natural move

that it’s my life to lead. I think that the

that most people do look for jobs in London

opportunities are available as the hub for

after Uni. We’re all pretty focused on the goal

the big companies and the big employers.

that we want to get to and we’re fortunate

And whilst they’re in other regions as

enough to be able to get there if we put our

well, I think that being in the centre of

minds to it, which I appreciate isn’t the

where their main Head offices are is quite

norm.”

an exciting feeling, I’d say the experience

High Flyer – Natural Sciences

you get in London is definitely better than other regions. A lot of my friends are also motivated down the same path of going to London so I know that I will have a good network of people there before like before I even start work. It’s the obvious choice for me, I haven’t even considered working anywhere else, at least for this bit of my life.

My M&S placement was in London and the minute I moved I just fell in love with it. So even though Leamington will always be home London is where I want to be without a doubt.”

Hard Worker – Food Science

Amongst most of my friends it’s sort of a natural unspoken thing, it would surprise

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London

“I expect I will be in London to start but

the best city in the world because it is small

I would like to maybe live in a different

enough to walk around the whole place

country at some point so three years would

within a couple of hours, is close to the sea

probably be the longest chunk of time for

is close to the countryside. It’s got lots of

a first job, I’m young and don’t want to get

green spaces. So I think yeah, I think I think

stuck somewhere. I want the opportunity

may end up in Edinburgh in the end.”

to try a lot of different areas of work. So the

Hard Worker – Biomedical Science

location probably does matter a lot to me. I like green spaces, like Edinburgh I think is

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Student Findings

Cheshire Awareness of Cheshire is very low throughout. There seems to be a (complete) lack of identity and almost no knowledge even for those (two) who have direct experience. Some can locate Cheshire as near Manchester, but most have no idea.

There is a limited perception that Cheshire is about “rural, green spaces” but this is unfocussed. There is even less awareness of the towns – almost nothing for Warrington, Crewe and Macclesfield, vaguely historic for Chester. There is only a low level of “North” stereotyping.

“I don’t know anything about Cheshire. It’s in the Midlands, I don’t even know geography wise where it is, to be honest. I’d imagine quite a small place but I don’t know. Chester? I know it exists. Yeah. Has it got a football team?”

Hard Worker – Biomedical Science

“Cheshire, is there a theme park there or is that Chessington? I would also say think of the cat. I’m gonna say somewhere in the not the very north and not the very south but that is it’s really it. My geography of England it’s really pretty poor.”

High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

“I don’t know much about Cheshire. Specifically, maybe not too urban, No idea what’s there.”

Hard Worker – Psychology

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Cheshire

The wide geography, the lack of awareness of distinctive towns and characteristics means even those with direct experience do not see the region as cohesive and lack knowledge about the area as a whole. A few have been to Chester on tourism trips with parents, and those that have lived in Cheshire are more aware of shopping than employment factors. There is no recall of specifics. There is no understanding of the economic make-up of Cheshire or employment opportunities in the towns.

“When you asked where I come from I said Manchester, because that’s just where I see myself as from. I love Cheshire, it’s where my family home is, Alderley Edge. It’s very countryside and quite affluent in parts. It’s a collection of a lot of small towns and villages is my take from it. Of course there is Chester, which is, I guess sort of the mini capital of county. Warrington, I don’t know too much about at all really aside from the fact it’s halfway between Manchester and Liverpool. Macclesfield is nice for the most part as it is surrounded by a lot of affluent areas and you’ve got the Peak District near it which is good for families. I don’t know about Crewe at all but it’s got a big train station.”

Hard Worker – Maths and Computing

“GSK were looking for people doing to do internships in production.

And they were their sort of factories in the ends of the earth, Bridgend and Gravesend, kind of bleak places. But Chester does not sound as if it’s completely in the middle of nowhere”.

High Flyer – Mechanical Engineering

When prompted students can imagine that an established hotspot would offer advantages beyond the specific job and students can also find imagined advantages in Cheshire – less competition for roles, maybe higher pay or more responsibility (to attract candidates), low cost of living and housing.

No one looked for or found a job or internship in Cheshire, or noticed one being advertised. This undermines the credibility of Cheshire “hotspots”.

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Student Findings

“Cheshire well it’s like the North in general,

London

everybody knows that they’ve not been invested in as much. My friend comes from Warrington and she talks about how bad the infrastructure is. She talked about how difficult it was to get a train to London for a cheap price to pay for a weekend up.

I’m thinking far cheaper than it would be to live in the east or southeast and quite industrial. To be

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Cambridge

honest I’ve never seen a job listed there and I don’t know of any employers there.”

High Flyer – Food Science

Students were presented with a series of facts about Cheshire.

These are received positively but are unlikely to make much of a difference directly.

0%

10%

“It sounds like the sort of place which I would

Manchester

actually avoid. I might be more open to it in 10 years maybe working in Manchester and living in Cheshire.”

High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

0%

10%

“Why would I want a job in Cheshire or Manchester, I would be better off in London at Head Office even

Cheshire

if it is insane work hours and stress” High Flyer - Economics

There was little first job pull to Cheshire from the Manchester proximity. The jobs were assumed to be in Manchester, and avoiding long commutes means living quite close to the city centre.

Note these are not car users at this point – so thinking more about public transport and walking, cycling within a 20 minute radius.

0%

When the group were asked which location they would choose

Students around Cheshire and Warrington

between London, Cambridge, Manchester and Cheshire, these were results from the different groups:

10%

Preferred

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Reject

Students Outside of the area Preferred

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OK

OK

Reject

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Cheshire

Why would I want a job in Cheshire or Manchester, I would be better off in London at Head Office even if it is insane work hours and stress

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Student Findings

Living Arrangements Students expect that they can find suitable housing and social resources wherever the first job takes them. Initial expectations for accommodation are quite low and similar in many respects to their rented, shared student housing. There is awareness and concern about finding a “nice” safe area.

Many want some green space but a park will do

Please select your living arrangements

“I’m looking to move to London in September to share a four bed house with three of my

Students around Cheshire and

friends from uni who are doing masters next year in London. We’re thinking around

Warrington

16.3%

Clapham area. Classic Very Cliché....”

44.2%

High Flyer – Natural Sciences, Finance

“If I had my ideal choice it would be a purpose built set of apartments for young professionals in a kind of trendy area with

20.9% 18.6%

lots of, you know, new restaurants and stuff. And lots of young people around that would be the best ideally. Somewhere like

Shared Accommodation Living on your own Living with parents Living with partner

Shoreditch” Hard Worker – Psychology

“I suspect I still be flat sharing or something like that” High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

Looking at the current living arrangements, these are the results from the groups;

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Salary Expectations Expectations are generally between £20-£30K with a rental apartment possibly shared. Salaries in London are expected to be higher and there is awareness of that the cost of living and accommodation is much higher in London than regionally. One High Flier was offered a starting salary of £60k but turned it down to join a high profile graduate scheme at half the salary, knowing that high earnings would follow higher up the ladder.

When asking how important remuneration is as a factor when deciding on a job, 1 being of low importance as a deciding factor and 5 of paramount importance.

How important a factor is remuneration when deciding on a job?

Students around Cheshire and Warrington 1 2 3 4 5 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Students Outside of the area 1 2 3 4 5 0%

10%

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Student Findings

Socialising Students expect that they can find suitable housing and social resources wherever the first job takes them. Initial expectations for accommodation are quite low and similar in many respects to their rented, shared student housing. There is awareness and concern about finding a “nice” safe area.

Many want some green space but a park will do

Most or even all want access to a social scene but this is usually not a dominant thought. Most indicate they have “been there done that” at university and expect to focus on the job. Access to bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs is something they would access when the mood takes them,

“I lived in Hammersmith during my internship programme, it’s pretty central, just west and right on the Thames. I really

in the same way they would travel to the countryside or a

enjoyed it because I hadn’t been to London

park if they wanted to.

that much at all when I was younger, so I

The idea of having to start to make new friends all over

didn’t know what to expect, but there is a

again as they did at university is a negative thought. Some are making plans to live with university friends in London.

“I just can’t face having to do the whole mingling and group activity again, I would like to make sure that I’m in an area that has some people that I already know so I don’t have to work as hard to have a social life. I think University is great, but once you leave it you’re done with that whole heavy-duty socialising for a while and you want to get on with real life.”

Hard Worker – Biomedical Science

bit of London for everybody. It really is just a place that anybody can go to and find people and things that makes them happy to be there. I am not talking about nightlife or anything like that I mean, I’ve done that, but definitely the culture and the afterwork buzz. When friends came back from placements you could tell who had been miserable because they had been in out of the way places. You can like the job but at 5pm when you leave what are you going to do?”

Hard Worker – Food Science

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Socialising

I would like to make sure that I’m in an area that has some people that I already know so I don’t have to work as hard to have a social life.

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Student Findings

Future Plans and Expectations Students have not made long term plans (say 10+ years) around career and life milestones. Rather they have expectations – that they will get more career responsibility and pay, move to better housing, meet someone, start a family, move to the country. These are vague and unformed – maybe hopes.

The idea of “settling down” is rejected at this stage – when they imagine the future they still want freedom and choice.

“I wouldn’t say I have a clear view of what

“I definitely want to have a family at some

I would like my life to be like in 10 years –

point, preferably before the age of 40 but

when I’m in my early 30s. The stereotype of

I don’t pay too much attention to making

settling down is just finding a partner and

five or 10 year plans, because there’s so

having kids or being rooted somewhere but

many other variables that can influence

I feel the connotations of what comes with

what happens between now and then. So

that are not what I want for myself. I don’t

I don’t see the point in dedicating much

want to feel trapped. I would still want to

brainpower to it.”

have the freedom to be creative and imagine

Hard Worker – Psychology

new challenging things that widen the horizon. Who knows, I suspect I will still be flat sharing.”

High Flyer – Sustainable Energy

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Future Plans and Expectations

“Fully qualified salaries can quite quickly go to 70-80K and how far that goes depends on where I’ll be living. So in the northwest, that’s probably a nice four or five bedroom house. In London, it probably won’t even cover my rent. So as a life plan it’s get started, get qualified. You know, find something interesting, make some money and see what happens. Yeah.”

High Flyer – Maths and Computing

“The only thing I can really think about is where do I want to buy a house? Otherwise I am quite vague about what’s in the future? I tried to think about it, but I just can’t really see that far ahead. Like, what do you want to do in five years, well going from no money to having some money would be good.”

Hard Worker - Energy

Looking at the Student groups when asked how far they have got about thinking about employment after graduation, this is how they scored it on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being fully thought through.

How far have you got in thinking about employment after you graduate?

Students around Cheshire and Warrington

Students Outside of the area

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

7

8

8

9

9

10

10 0%

5%

10%

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15%

20%

25%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

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25%

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Student Findings

Imagery The students were shown images relating to locations for work, living and socializing as a way of drawing out emotional responses and confirming the dimensions of personal resonance.

The images section worked well in drawing out more emotional content and confirming likes and dislikes and the reasoning that sits behind choices. There is a fair degree of variation in response, but modern, technological, relaxed environments are clearly preferred. The green fields and villages are attractive in themselves but not motivators at this lifestage. There is a natural aversion to mundane offices and toy box housing. A full analysis is presented as an appendix to this report.

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Imagery

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Student Findings

Diagnosis

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Diagnosis

1

This part of the study focused on top flight STEM students who can be expected to provide future leadership talent in the core areas targeted for high value economic growth by Cheshire and Warrington.

Within this group of top flight students, all of whom has excellent A levels and were studying at top universities it is apparent the “high flyers” can be differentiated from “hard workers”. This might be the difference between the top 2% of students and the top 20%.

2

High flyers have choices in first employment because of their outstanding track record and confidence, and will choose to join large industry leading employers with clear career ladders in their head office environments. High flyers are more likely to have completed internships from which they have gained insight into work and location choices. They want to be in head offices in a lively metropolitan environment which most often means London.

3

Hard workers despite their academic strength do not have the same freedom of choice and will generally be happy to get a first step relevant career role. As such they will look for the job first rather than the location but given the choice will also look for solid employers with good training and career opportunities. They also would prefer city life to more remote locations at this stage in their lives.

4 5 6

Students looking for jobs will be negatively affected by Covid as job offers are often on hold, and office life, with the desired training and socializing is disrupted.

Industry “hotspots” are rarely targeted directly by either group other than the more general attraction of London.

Cheshire and its constituent towns have very low awareness among these well-educated students. Knowledge was close to zero and even those whose home towns were in or close to the region had limited knowledge from an economic perspective, including the existence of local hotspots.

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Student Findings

7 8 9

The background perception of Cheshire is limited to vague feelings around countryside and affluence, partly mediated by television programmes like Real Housewives of Cheshire. Some remembered tourist visits to Chester with parents as a child.

None had seen career jobs or internships located in Cheshire and this undermines the idea of Cheshire based hotspots.

The pre-conceptions of Cheshire as rural and expensive without substantive industry and employment opportunities act against Cheshire as somewhere to consider living and working at this stage in their lives. For high flyers jobs come first but if they are not looking for, or finding, appropriate jobs in Cheshire then there will be no decision to make.

“You can’t advertise the fact that you've got nice countryside and stuff because for most young people, young professionals, that's not what's going to be a deciding factor about where they want to live. We want good jobs, activity and socialising. With Cheshire there's just nothing, there's no identity, there's nothing remarkable about it. And for me as someone who's interested in branding and marketing I see that as a branding issue. Cheshire needs to have a “purple cow” – something unique and interesting to say that's worth me stopping and thinking about this place over other places.

Hard Worker - Psychology

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Diagnosis

One of the most profound misconceptions about employment opportunities is that the general belief from Students is that there are very little employment opportunities in Cheshire and Warrington.

When asked this question, these are the results, which shows that 85% of the students in Cheshire and Warrington believe there are no jobs in Cheshire and Warrington which highlights why students look to leave Cheshire and Warrington in the first place and shows a need to work on this group to reduce the attrition rate and will help Cheshire and Warrington achieve their target.

Have you seen or heard of any potential jobs based in Cheshire?

Students outside of the area

Students around Cheshire and Warrington

16.7%

83.3%

Yes

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71%

No

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Student Findings

Recommendation

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Recommendation

The primary determinant for students looking for a first role is the availability of jobs. If the jobs are there and are visible to high flyers then the location will be considered.

Perceptions of Cheshire are important however because the current preconceptions are too rural and affluence (=expensive) to be motivating.

There is no pre-conception of economic activity so no reason to search for jobs in the region.

To attract students to actively consider Cheshire will require the creation of an economic brand and raised awareness as an attractive place to live and work. This will include awareness of large employers and hotspots and the portrayal of an attractive lifestyle centred around vibrant metropolitan life.

There is potentially a window of opportunity arising from Covid because many students are essentially “on hold� in finding first career jobs because of the Covid crisis. They are from necessity based at home and becoming more family centric. Remote working may not be very attractive to young people starting careers but there are positives around cost of living and being able to join businesses while living anywhere.

The appropriate routes to influence young people are university careers office and fairs, social media, internet (first response to asking about Cheshire is Google) and internships. Case histories of individuals living and working in Cheshire would be particularly resonant.

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Young Talent Findings

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Young Talent Findings

High Flyers, Hard Workers and Mainstream Recognising that the students interviewed in this study were an elite group studying STEM subjects at strong universities and with High Flyer or Hard Worker personalities the talent interviews were widened to include a number of more “mainstream” individuals.

These had STEM degrees but from less well regarded universities and their personalities also reflected less work ethic and expectations. A possible hypothesis was that mainstream talent might be less likely to look for work in London and that if they did move away they might return to “home” at a later lifestage.

Although this segmentation is simplistic it did reveal substantial differences in behaviour and expectations.

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High Flyers High Flyers were amongst perhaps the top 2% of STEM graduates with an excellent track record of achievement including top STEM universities and often higher degrees and internship experience. It was apparent from the student interviews that this cohort had choice of job offer and often wanted to be employed initially at least on fast track training schemes with bog companies, often in London.

Their expectations as final year students are borne out in their career path as young talent securing fast track and remunerative roles. Not all STEM talent go on to careers that specifically utilize their degree qualifications.

“I would say it was a fairly standard corporate grad scheme where you get trained in a variety of things, and then enter the company at the bottom to introduce youth and energy. There is a constant pressure to keep achieving, but it’s down to you to drive that” High Flyer – Biological Sciences now in Corporate Software Sales

“I did an internship with in EY for six weeks which was good background to have on a CV and I also volunteered for three weeks in Greece with Syrian refugees which was an experience to talk about at interview. I applied to consultancies and financial services jobs, talked about EY and engineering and came first out of four and a half thousand applications.”

High Flyer - Mechanical Engineering now in Venture Capital

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Young Talent Findings

Hard Workers These represent perhaps the top 20% of STEM graduates, with good A levels and degrees from serious universities. Although not everything goes their way they appear to have a strong work ethic and after university secure career jobs.

How important is a career path when choosing a company to work for?

We asked the group of young talent how important a career path was when

“I decided to do a post grad degree which has an NHS base and actually took a year and a half. Then rather than doing what I’m supposed to do, which was go and work for the NHS, I actually moved straight into

choosing a company to work for with 1 being of low importance and 5 being of high importance. This finding will determine how focused they are and by looking at the data, it’s apparent that it’s very important.

1

the pharmaceutical industry and I’ve worked in an

2

industry job ever since. I’ve got a biology degree and

3

then the clinical degree on top of that”

4

Hard Worker - Biology working in Pharmaceuticals

5 0%

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Mainstream These individuals represent the vast majority of STEM graduates accounting for perhaps 80% of graduates and with degrees from lesser institutions. When compared to their High Flyer and Hard Worker counterparts the difference in attitudes and expectations is clear. None the less these graduates represent the majority of the graduate labour pool. They have less clear views on their career, are more likely to spend time travelling or in non-career jobs and seem less ambitious generally in career terms. They may talk about wanting opportunity, but have no plans and take no action.

“I wasn’t proactive in applying for jobs straight away. I was so busy with coursework revising for exams didn’t have the time to apply for the jobs and anyway I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So I just did odd jobs like sell advertising space for an internet business, worked in recruitment, and a Japanese laser company selling lasers. Now I am in financial services.”

Mainstream – Economics

“I graduated University in 2016 studying financial maths. I applied to work for HSBC and do lifetime profitability financial modelling. It was the first thing I really applied for. There are opportunities to move around into different teams, but I feel like my knowledge from what I did at university really fits with the team that I’m in at the moment so I’m happy” Mainstream – Maths now in Finance

“I worked for TSB originally, then I went travelling for a year or so. Then eventually I got a contract with Lloyds and now I’m furloughed” Mainstream - Maths now in Financial Services

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Young Talent Findings

Home Town It takes time to establish a new location as “home”. Students do not consider their university town as “home” and likewise where talent are living takes years to start to feel like a hometown.

Combined with a series of moves for work or moving up the

As talent put down roots it becomes more

housing ladder it may only be when children arrive that it

disruptive to relocate. High flyers will

feels like real roots in a place are being formed. An affinity

continue to seek world class opportunities

with the original home town remains as relatives and friends

and will relocate at least until they have

may still be there.

settled families in school. High flyers and Mainstream are also highly mobile in the early years, although Mainstream talent

“My hometown, its Greenwich which is where

has less opportunity and relationships are always an understated influence

I live now not where I was brought up. I’m a

on location choices. The instability in

Londoner now. It was Dorset but I wouldn’t

As families are formed eventually the

say I consider it a hometown now. I have no commercial or long-term affiliation to Dorset with the exception of the emotional history” High Flyer – Biological Sciences now in Corporate Software Sales

many relationships is a driver for change. perception of “Home Town” switches from where they were brought up to their new location, although there is always a strong pull to where parents and friends are based.

As lifestages evolve into family life there is a strong underlying attraction to returning to the Home Town to be near parents and friends and a sense of underlying comfort and reassurance.

“I think when I have children and the children go to school here, I think that will solidify Essex as my home. So right now, I still have a great affinity to Enfield where I grew up and my friends still are, but as time goes on this will become my new home place” Mainstream - Health

When searching for a job where would you consider?

National International Hotspot My University Town My Home Town Anywhere 0%

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Home Town

Combined with a series of moves for work or moving up the housing ladder it may only be when children arrive that it feels like real roots in a place are being formed.

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Young Talent Findings

Location Choices Early career years typically encompass a number of jobs and home locations.

High Flyers seem most stable with fewer early years job switches so they are more likely to remain in London. Mainstream talent have more difficulty getting established and often stay with parents to reduce rent costs, meaning that they may remain close to home.

“In choosing another job you’re much more

“The key for me would be changing a

likely to get me with an international

stereotype that no big corporates put

opportunity than you are provincial

their head office in Manchester because I

England. I would say Stockholm or

immediately think back office functions,

something similar has a unique cultural and

not the key wheels or the decisions. The

professional enrichment attraction. If you

Manchester office gets told to do what the

said, we’ll give you this high paying dream

London office thinks so the company my

job in Stockholm that’d be much more

girlfriend works for has a Newcastle office,

attractive than the same job in Manchester

and they are the paralegals and back office ,

where the move causes all the grief in

not the lawyers. Even if you ignore how nice

your personal life and you are stepping

the location I would be stepping out of the

away from the fiscal centre of the UK to

spotlight where things happen, decisions

somewhere more provincial”

are made, and people are promoted on the

High Flyer – Finance

ladder. Would my career ceiling be manager of a back office function?”

High Flyer – Biological Sciences now in Corporate Software Sales

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Location Choices

“The interview was literally the first time I’ve ever been to Wiltshire in my life. And it was - oh my god, what is this place the head office is out in the middle of nowhere. So I had to decide rapidly whether I wanted to move there with mixed feelings, but I just decided it was too good an opportunity to turn down. And at that point, I was flexible in terms of where I could be, I didn’t have to be in any particular location, single, young and free.

It’s worked out well” Hard Worker – Health Sciences

Relationships are important at this stage in restraining location choices.

Individuals are also buffeted by the usual relationship challenges.

“When I finished university I moved straight back home with my parents because I didn’t have any savings and probably wasn’t mature enough to live by myself . I worked and saved while living at home for two years and then I moved in with my girlfriend at the time. We split up!! I moved back home, and I then met another girlfriend. We then bought a house together, then split up with her then moved back with my parents again.

And now I’ve been with my current girlfriend for three years, we have bought a house together, we are happy and have a child.”

Mainstream Economics now in Financial Services

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As lifestages progress towards marriage and children there is pressure on household finances and a sense that opportunities are slipping past. This leads to talk of change, looking for better paid jobs even if this means moving but for many this is just wishful thinking. While both partners are working coordinating simultaneous job moves is particularly challenging.

“ Money is a big factor with a young family but moving would mean my girlfriend agreeing to it because she’s in a decent job herself.

I’m sure we could find something relatively easily. My thoughts and feelings have changed massively, I used to think I would never move away from all my friends here but now I’ve got family values and I need to give my family the best opportunity by progressing within my role, new skills, more money, and that probably means moving” Mainstream Economics now in Financial Services

“I’m a planner to some extent but, as well, I like to see how things pan out. We probably would like family at some point soon, but there’s other things we want to do as well. We’d like to think about the next house we would to but also both our careers are very important so we talk all the time about what our next steps are career wise. I’m getting a little bit bored in my job now after four years and need a new challenge There’s another job coming up, for example, in our global office in Amsterdam.”

Hard Worker – Health Sciences

important than the level of remuneration.

How important a factor is remuneration when deciding on a job?

For talent, however, expense pressures

1

For students the career opportunity is more

increase the importance of remuneration and salary is seen as a marker of progress.

We asked how important remuneration was when choosing a job with 1 being of low importance and 5 being of high importance - for talent remuneration is a primary factor

2 3 4 5

alongside location and opportunity.

0%

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20%

40%

60%

80%

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Location Choices

I used to think I would never move away from all my friends here but now I’ve got family values and I need to give my family the best opportunity

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Young Talent Findings

Hotspots Talent have a wider understanding of the economic dynamics of their industry and may have travelled with work to regional locations including hotspots. However the term “hotspot” is not in general use and is not a factor in specifically targeting job searches or places to live.

The more ambitious are aware that if there are several employers in a location it provides a better base for job hopping but this is generally applied to London rather than regional centres. Generally awareness of hotspot locations comes from visiting branches of their own business or customers, and viewing job advertisements.

“We (Covance) are in Huntingdon and Cambridge is definitely a hub because we have the Cambridge Research Park and then London for University and that side of scientific rather than the industrial side

“We (HSBC) have an office in Chester so I’ve been there quite a few times, a really nice city with nice places to eat restaurants, little shops. One of my colleagues just recently moved to Chester. A lot of other banks have offices on the retail park where we are.

Before going there for work I wouldn’t have expected them to be there. Like Lloyds and M&S bank. Really they need to advertise as a place to come for financial jobs otherwise no one knows about it”

and then there are a few down south but the main place there is the Porton Down Science Park. I didn’t know that they had a Life Sciences set up in Cheshire. I’d not heard of Alderley Park” High Flyer - Pharmaceuticals

While High Flyers are aware of and can list the primary national and international hotspots for their discipline this is generally not the case for Hard Workers and Mainstream talent who are “Job first” and will search nationally.

Are you aware of any “hotspots” for your discipline?

6.2%

Mainstream – Maths working in Financial Services Yes No

93.8%

A hotspot is location that has a cluster of businesses that employ many graduates.

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Hotspots

The more ambitious are aware that if there are several employers in a location it provides a better base for job hopping...

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Young Talent Findings

Career Plans The early career promise of High Flyers is maintained as they typically stay with their initial employer for some years, building experience and seniority and higher salaries.

They take responsibility for their own careers and push to take responsibility and “climb the ladder”. They are distinctly averse to moving away from the centre of power for their business -typically London. When evaluating a job they usually set location constraints first, then look at the responsibility and remuneration. As always High Flyers have choices and are proactively approached by headhunters.

“A job move would primarily be about taking more responsibility and gaining exposure that builds my experience. The credibility of the company is important, putting a good name on the CV and gaining professional status. Then you look at personal stuff like salary and the lifestyle around where you would live” “I’m quite happy to remain as an employee for the next five, seven years whatever. After that, I think I’d definitely like to be entrepreneurial and build a business from scratch. As a hobby I do programming and I have built something that works in the foreign exchange market, or I might partner with someone or take over a business and grow it. In my business you get to see people make a lot of money and be very successful outside of just being employees” High Flyer - Mechanical Engineering now in Venture Capital

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Career Plans

Hard Workers have expectations of steady career progress and are prepared to switch employer and location to continue to see this progression. While steady progression continues they will be content.

“In terms of future employment, I don’t really have a plan. I was always told to jump the ladders, quickly and early on, but I’m getting good experience for my age. So I think the driver for me would be to move when I either need extra money, or I stop learning” Hard Worker – Engineering

“My expectation is career progression and that’s what I’ve had. Better salary, better prospects, all those kind of things” Hard Worker – Health Sciences

Despite STEM degrees Mainstream find it much harder in the first instance to get a career job and advancement is much harder to come by. After 2 months of Covid these individuals were much more likely to be furloughed and likely have less job security.

“I’ve not really got started on a career, this is just a make-place job and I’m furloughed. What I really want to do, what I’m passionate about is to open a climbing gym” Mainstream – Biological Sciences

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Young Talent Findings

Importance of Family The early career promise of High Flyers is maintained as they typically stay with their initial employer for some years, building experience and seniority and higher salaries.

It is often unstated but under the surface of apparently rational decisions about career and location that there is a pull back to their roots and hometown. This is most apparent with mainstream talent who do not have the choices and confidence to travel further afield and initially

“My family are very important to me. Even when I was at uni without any other ties to home, I would still go back probably more

may be living with parents while working. Many young

often than a lot of the other students but

talent have a preference to be within striking distance

that’s easily solved for me with a weekend

of home and family so they can visit and this is one attraction of London with good access to the rest of the country. As lifestages progress there are additional reasons to be close to parents, for childcare and to provide support as they become more elderly.

of visiting rather than having to be there constantly and go to family meals every day.

It’s just knowing that I can still see them so potentially a move to a different country

“I would not move away from here for a job even if it was an amazing opportunity.

Especially now during this Coronavirus time where suddenly people have got a sense

would be a bit tricky for me but if I can still feel like I can drive home on a weekend that‘s comforting for me.”

High Flyer - Pharmaceuticals

of balance again in work and personal life.

Work is just so crazy and impedes so much of people’s lives and their family time. I will be more fulfilled here close to friends and family” Mainstream - Health

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Importance of Family

I would not move away from here for a job even if it was an amazing opportunity.

Especially now during this Coronavirus time

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Young Talent Findings

Cheshire Young talent had little additional awareness of Cheshire as an economic region than students. Talent may have had wider exposure to the UK through increased personal mobility and visiting branches for work but awareness is still essentially limited to thoughts of green fields and villages, Chester as a tourist town, affluence and TV programmes. There was no awareness of Alderley Park, although some of the talent working in financial services had been to Chester.

Generally there were no negatives associated with Cheshire other than it might be an expensive place to live and lack social vibrancy. However unless jobs are seen to be advertised Cheshire would not be targeted as a place to live or work.

got low crime so a nice place to live.

Obviously there’s other parts of Cheshire that are probably not as nice but that’s the immediate kind of thought. If I came across

“Beautiful part of the world? expensive

a career opportunity there it would be by a

probably, I don’t know to be honest. I think

complete chance. It’s not somewhere I would

Chester’s probably nice countryside but

actively look”

whether you can afford to live there is

Mainstream – Bioscience now in Logistics

something completely different. But if it’s a dream job, you know, you can always find a location to live” High Flyer – Engineering

“The principal association for me with the better technical roles is that they will be in cities and city centres. So when I imagine

“Probably first off would be the WAGS. I’ve

Cheshire and Chester as a lovely, quaint area

been to Chester a few times. It’s a nice area

I don’t associate it with Engineering jobs”

but I don’t really know too much about it. It’s

High Flyer – Engineering

got quite a big shopping center, it’s probably

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Cheshire

“I wouldn’t say I’m too familiar with Cheshire is it

When asked on a scale from 1 (Nothing) to

somewhere near Manchester and Liverpool in the

Cheshire and Warrington, 36% said that

middle of England, sort of Midlands or north of the Midlands. Other than that, I have no clue to be honest.”

Mainstream – Biological Sciences

5 (Lots) how much this group knew about they know nothing about the area.

How much do you know about Cheshire and Warrington?

1 2 3

“I’ve never heard of any of those hotspots in

4

Cheshire which is surprising because I’ve been

5

looking for jobs for a long while and you’d think

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

things would come up but I don’t know of anyone who has been there or talked about it.”

Mainstream – Biological Sciences

Two individuals had visited Chester University but had decided to go elsewhere

“I did go to a look round at the university of Chester,

In addition to that, 95% of talent are not aware of any jobs in their sector within the Cheshire and Warrington area.

Are you aware of any jobs in your sector that are within the Cheshire region?

2.3%

and I know that their math department was based within the old Shell plant.”

Mainstream – Maths working in Finance

“I decided to do my postgrad at Cardiff but my

97.7%

other option was Chester. I decided to go to Cardiff

Yes

because I just liked the university slightly more

No

it was more modern and the course was more interesting, maybe the nightlife was better” Mainstream - Health Sciences

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Young Talent Findings

Post Covid These individuals had all been affected by the Covid lockdown and were either working from home or furloughed. Not surprisingly there were concerns about job security and for some moving plans had been put on hold.

In addition to risk aversion two aspects had come to the fore: flexibility and family.

Many value the flexibility that working from home had brought and expect this to continue post-Covid. The crisis has also highlighted the importance of family values with

“A lot of us down south want more of a life now with a balance of countryside and work

the concern many felt for parents and grandparents.

while still getting the London wage, but

“I would choose to be London centric, but

living a more kind of rounded life with more

in a flexible work environment. Currently

space”

I don’t have to be in London to work even pre-Covid. I like the fact that I can work from home, say a grandparent got sick, with no change to my output I can work indefinitely from Dorset as long as I go into London for the meetings I need. And that’s really important to me.”

High Flyer – Biological Sciences now in Corporate Software

Mainstream - Health

“Covid has shown that there is no need for lots of people to be chained to the same desk for a long working day, when they can be equally productive at home. I like being output focused and results driven rather than, you know, show your face at the office by 7.30 every day.

Sales High Flyer – Biological Sciences now in Corporate Software Sales

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Post Covid

Covid has shown that there is no need for lots of people to be chained to the same desk for a long working day, when they can be equally productive at home.

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Young Talent Findings

Diagnosis

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Diagnosis

1

The focus on High Flyer and Hard Worker STEM graduates in the student study was extended to include the remaining STEM graduates who perhaps account for 80% of graduates and talent. These “Mainstream” young talent had STEM degrees but from less academic institutions and their behaviours, expectations and career success are distinctly different from High Flyers and Hard Workers.

2

High flyers successfully achieve their aspirations as graduates to find fast track training roles in the centre of large businesses, usually in London. They typically remain with these first employers for 3 to 5 years while striving hard to establish themselves professionally and progressing up the career and remuneration ladder.

They continue to have choices and are approached by head hunters but evaluate all opportunities critically based on location, responsibility and personal enrichment which may not be immediately financial. They are likely to want to remain in the centre of the action and want to be in vibrant world cities which in the UK means London. They fulfill their early promise and look set to be leaders in their professions which may not be directly associated with their degree subjects.

3

Hard workers are successful in gaining first career roles with solid employers and progress steadily. Although they may have had little choice over the location of their first role they are prepared to relocate, and then to continue to move in pursuit of career progression with the initial employer, or by switching employer. If their aspiration for steady advancement and increased responsibility is delivered they are unlikely to change employer.

4

Mainstream talent find it harder to find first career roles and are more likely to have broken employment paths with time out, interim non-career jobs and less job security. In the present Covid crisis they are more likely to have been furloughed.

Given this work trajectory many live with parents in their early working lives, and only move out when they find partners, who will also be working. They are therefore more likely to be located close to one or other family.

5 6

There is surprisingly little awareness of Industry “hotspots” except for London these are not targeted directly for employment opportunities.

As lifestages progress High Flyers will move up the housing ladder by moving to commuter belt London or taking advantage of overseas opportunities. Hard Workers start to feel pinned down by marriage and children and the sense that opportunities for travel and self-actualization are slipping away. As both partners are likely to be working and have careers there is a need for negotiated choices between family, career and personal life choices. Mainstream talent certainly feels the need for more income as they start families but may lack the resources and flexibility to move location in search of better prospects.

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Young Talent Findings

Post-Covid locational flexibility may offer the platform Cheshire needs to communicate the benefits of living in a wonderful part of the world

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Diagnosis

7

Cheshire and it’s constituent towns have very low awareness although this is not so limited as among students. It continues to be true however that knowledge of Cheshire and the constituent towns as economic entities is close to zero. Some working in financial services have visited the Chester business park, and no one was aware of Alderley Park.

8

The background perception of Cheshire is focused on countryside and affluence, and some tourist visits to Chester. Two had visited Chester University, but not studied there. There is a definitive assumption based on the rural preconception that the area lacks industry and employment options, but may be a nice, if expensive place to live.

9 10

None had seen career jobs located in Cheshire, although one individual had a colleague who had transferred to Chester.

High Flyers are unlikely to be attracted to Cheshire as it is perceived to lack head office leadership roles and the vibrancy of world class cities. Hard Workers and Mainstream will be prepared to consider roles in Cheshire, but because of the preconceptions and lack of awareness they will not proactively search for roles in the region.

11 12

The pull to roots and “home” is a strong undercurrent and offers an opportunity to Cheshire to attract back Hard Workers and others, particularly once they reach parenthood. Mainstream are less mobile and may never have left but would be relatively easy to attract back.

Post-Covid locational flexibility may offer the platform Cheshire needs to communicate the benefits of living in a wonderful part of the world, close to two major cities and through remote working being able to access high paying career jobs. For those with family and friends in the North and consider it their emotional home there is a double attraction.

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Young Talent Findings

Recommendation

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Recommendation

The recommendations to attract talent to actively consider Cheshire as a place to live and work are in essence the same as for students and inward investors.

In the first instance there is a need to establish an economic brand which resonates with the forthcoming period of change post-Covid. Until there is a breakthrough in awareness Cheshire will not be proactively considered.

The Covid discontinuity provides the opportunity for Cheshire and Warrington to capitalize on the new locational flexibility and family centricity by becoming thought leaders in the new business environment.

Showing that Cheshire has the quality of life, accessibility to work and family and economic vibrancy will resonate with talent.

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AUTHOR

Chris Little chris@upthereeverywhere.com

PLACE MARKETING EXTERNAL PERCEPTIONS STUDY

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