Feel like a spot of diversity?

Study in the East of England

Are you interested in studying in the East of England?  Then read on…

The East of England is one of the largest and most diverse regions in the United Kingdom and ensuring that it prospers is the key role of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). The region is the second largest in England and comprises the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The region has a significant rural landscape, and is home to cities and towns like Bedford, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Luton, Norwich, Peterborough and Stevenage. Each is brimming with culture and nightlife and surrounded by a number of important world sites such as the Norfolk Broads.

On our doorstep is London, a world city. Mainland Europe is only a short journey away, and the region contains a number of important international gateways including three airports offering cheap flights to Europe and beyond.

The London 2012 Olympics is set to bring many opportunities and benefits to those who work and live in the East of England, not least a range of new leisure and sporting facilities. 

The East of England has a strong regional population growth and is one of the fastest growing region’s in the UK. Almost 5.5 million people live in the region and this is forecast to increase by around half a million by 2021. It also has one of the highest employment rates in the country and strong job opportunities, particularly for those with higher level skills, which are not met by the current workforce. 

Responsibility for the continued economic development and social development of the region lies with EEDA. It aims to create a prosperous, dynamic and inspirational region by helping businesses compete more effectively, training a highly skilled workforce, supporting and enabling our communities while safeguarding our natural resources and cherishing our rich cultural heritage.  

Alison Lys, EEDA’s head of skills and employment said: “EEDA’s vision for the region is ‘a leading economy, founded on our world-class knowledge base and creativity and enterprise of our people, in order to improve the quality of all who live and work here’.

“The region has many important assets not least an £81 billion economy, world-class expertise in research and development and an excellence in further and higher education. We have a well established manufacturing base, clusters of leading-edge, high tech businesses and one of the largest concentrations of new and growing businesses in the country.”

She added: “The East of England is a region of widespread economic diversity and opportunity, making it an ideal place for higher education students to live, study and pursue their future career aspirations.”    

Raising Skills across the East of England
The East of England offers a range of first class universities, further education colleges and learning centres, each offering their own unique learning environment.

There are seven universities -  Anglia Polytechnic University, Cranfield University, University of East Anglia, University of Cambridge,  University of Essex, University of Hertfordshire, University of Luton. In addition there are four higher education institutions- Homerton College of Nursing, The Royal Veterinary College, the Norwich School of Art & Design, and Writtle Agricultural College. The Open University has a regional centre based in Cambridge.

EEDA is working with the universities and the further education colleges to provide more learning opportunities for all ages, to increase participation and ultimately to increase skills levels across the region to better support business needs. 

The region’s skills base is a key determinant of its economic performance. A good skills base is needed to support the world class economy of the region and EEDA’s work to improve skills provision is one of its key goals.

Ms Lys said: “One in five East of England companies claim they are constrained by skills gaps in their workforce. One aspect of EEDA’s commitment to increasing access to business-related higher education opportunities is addressing skills issues in collaboration with universities.”

Developing New Universities
EEDA is working to develop new exciting university sites at Harlow in Essex, Ipswich in Suffolk, Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, Southend-on Sea in Essex and Thurrock in Essex. Through these, and planned improvements for some of the further education colleges, many new places are being created for students of all ages and those who are in employment but require training.

In Southend-on-Sea, EEDA is supporting the project to develop a new university campus. It will be the first university campus in south Essex and is costing about £27million to develop. Once completed, the campus will accommodate up to 1,500 students studying a range of courses including financial services, business studies and health-related subjects. Ms Lys said: “By providing students with easy access to top class facilities and the right advice we are giving them a better chance to succeed in business.”     

In Suffolk, EEDA is working hard to establish a new University Campus Suffolk (UCS) in Ipswich with Essex University, the University of East Anglia and other partners. Ms Lys said: “Suffolk is the only English county with a population over 0.5million without direct higher education provision. A new university will improve access to higher education and raise skills levels across the county and beyond.” 

Careers Opportunities
The East of England has one of the strongest and fastest growing economies in the UK, with output totalling £81 billion in 2002. There are more than 380,000 businesses in the East of England employing 2.7 million people. The economy is diverse and includes a strong service sector and a significant concentration of internationally important businesses engaged in research and development - the region houses over 30 of the world’s leading research centres.

The region is well placed to benefit from the increasing globalisation of business activity. It is inextricably linked to the economies of our neighbouring regions, nationally and internationally and plays an important role in complementing and enhancing the position of London as a world city. 

There are a diverse and exciting range of career opportunities in the East of England including advanced engineering, climatology, construction, digital design, environmental technologies, financial services, heath and social care, ICT, materials science, motorsports, multi-media, pharmacology, renewable energies, stem cell research and genomics.

Ms Lys said: “Career prospects in the East of England are exceptionally good, which is why many students who choose to study at the region’s universities and colleges, continue to live and work in the region once they have qualified.” 

Arts, Culture and Leisure
When taking a break from your studies, whether its for an hour or a week, you’ll always find something to do in the East of England.

The East of England has world class museums like the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge and the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich; dozens of theatres, concert venues and dance facilities; and many English Nature, English Heritage and National Trust sites. All of its cities and towns offer a vast array of shopping facilities from the indoor centres at places like Lakeside, Norwich and Cambridge to designer outlets at Freeport in Braintree.

Those with a little more time might want to explore the beauty and tranquillity of the Norfolk Broads, the vast stretches of Fenland, Thetford Forest, the region’s long unspoilt coastline or even take a trip to CentreParcs, a sports and leisure park at Elveden in Suffolk.
 
Arts, culture and leisure are an important part of life in the region and EEDA has been working with a number of partners to develop new ones. Current schemes include building a new visual arts centre at Colchester and a new dancehouse at Ipswich for the nationally acclaimed dance company DanceEast.