What do Robbie Williams, Lenny Henry and William Shakespeare have in common? The answer? The West Midlands.
These three massively successful people were born in a region which spans six counties, hosts the country’s second city and is home to the likes of the National Exhibition Centre, Cadbury’s, Bulmer’s Cider and the annual V Festival. Once that cap and gown have come off and you’re looking for where to go next, you’d do worse than to consider developing your career in a region which offers phenomenal job and lifestyle opportunities for the graduates.
Grad Central was established to help companies throughout following counties access the very best in graduate talent.
Below is a list of key locations across the West Midlands.
County
|
Major towns and cities
|
Herefordshire
|
Hereford
Leominster
Whitchurch |
Shropshire
|
Telford
Oswestry
Shrewsbury |
Staffordshire
|
Stafford
Stoke-on-Trent
Newcastle-under-Lyme |
Warwickshire
|
Leamington Spa
Rugby
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwick |
West Midlands (county)
|
Birmingham
Coventry
Solihull
Wolverhampton |
Worcestershire
|
Bromsgrove
Kidderminster
Worcester |
Whilst many multinational companies and graduate employers including Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Jaguar Landrover and Marstons are based in the West Midlands, the region’s small and medium companies play a leading role in the employment of graduate talent.
In 2007, the West Midlands was reported to have 353 400 companies*, of which 99.2% employed less than 49 people. If you’re a graduate keen to take advantage of living in a region where you can travel from the heart of Birmingham, the UK’s second city to the beauty of Shakespeare’s Stratford in less than an hour by train or road, a look at the job opportunities available with small and medium companies is definitely worth your while.
* United Kingdom Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform