Shared Vision: Training & Career Development in Basingstoke
The current job market and employment opportunities in Basingstoke
With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Basingstoke is Hampshire's third largest city and an important centre for business and financial activity. The city's labour market has undergone radical changes over the past 30 years. Initially, Basingstoke was known as a market town and as a centre for textile manufacturing and brewing. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the town saw a rapid increase in the importance of the retail sector. It was also during this period when improved transport links between Basingstoke and London turned the town into a base for commuters.
The improved transport network also contributed to making of Basingstoke a prime office market. Today, several multinational companies are headquartered in town or in the nearby business parks. Some of the most notorious are Motorola, Sony Europe, Huawei, Sun Life Financial, Adidas Golf, Game Group, and Ericsson. Other important employers are the Automobile Association, HSBC, Axa Wealth, BNP Paribas, Canon, Fujitsu, Lenovo, and Sainsbury's. As it can be seen from this list of companies, the most important sources of employment in Basingstoke are with the financial, telecommunications, banking, and electronic sectors. Other important industries are information technology, engineering, and pharmaceuticals. The local public sector provides jobs mainly in the health care services field.
Like the rest of the country's South East, Basingstoke enjoys a diversified labour market, high income, and employment rates that exceed the national average.
Professional career development in Basingstoke
As part of a government funded initiative, the local city council coordinates a range of apprenticeships aimed at young people aged 16 and above who want to gain practical experience and skills while earning some money. In the Basingstoke area, there are apprenticeships available in the fields of sales, marketing, business administration, management, information technology, and accountancy. The major providers are ITEC and the Basingstoke College of Technology.
Although there is no university in Basingstoke, the College of Technology runs higher education diplomas in subjects which include business, accounting, computing, marketing, and human resources management.
The Basingstoke Consortium is a not-for-profit organisation whose objective is to serve as a liaison between local employers and young employees. This organisation runs work experience schemes, working lunches, mentoring programmes, visits to companies, and business talks on topics like leadership or teamwork. Through a series of workshops, the Consortium also offers training in skills that can improve employability, such as decision making, problem solving, time management, CV writing, communication, and interview skills.
Being home to so many blue-chip companies, Basingstoke offers numerous opportunities to expand your business contacts through networking events. The Basingstoke Business Club runs business breakfasts every Friday morning. These meetings include activity sessions aimed at helping members and visitors develop their businesses in the right direction. Basingstoke for Business also holds weekly breakfast meetings and offers possibilities to network with other business groups from North Hampshire and Surrey. The Hampshire Business Network organises monthly events at Basingstoke's Golf Club. Female entrepreneurs will surely be interested in joining the networking events organised by the Women in Business Group, which meets once a month in Basingstoke.
For business-related training, local companies can contact the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce. This institution runs short courses and workshops on topics like social media for business, basic finance, management skills, and procurement. The Chamber can also provide information on professional development opportunities at institutions like the Business Unit at the College of Technology and the University of Winchester. These courses can be personalised to suit the needs of your workforce and to help your business achieve its goals faster and more effectively.
Further Considerations: Having a clean, valid drivers license enables you to apply for a greater number of positions as well as giving you a much larger choice of locations at which you can work. Some companies require that employees drive, others prefer it. If you already have a license consider taking a Pass Plus or Advanced Driving course to give you the edge over other candidates who have not invested in the extra training. Click here to find driving schools.
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