Lanarkshire Business Show - Interview with Chris Wond of North Lanarkshire Council
The Lanarkshire Business Show returns to the fabulous Ravenscraig venue for a fantastic morning of Business Opportunities, Speed Networking, Seminars and Business Exhibition. The Business Services teams from both North and South Lanarkshire Councils were there to help businesses in Lanarkshire. The event is part of Lanarkshire Business Week.
Why Lanarkshire?
Situated in the heart of Scotland, Lanarkshire has plenty to offer as a region to live and raise a family, enjoy recreational activities and as a place for business. From the commercial and industrial areas of the north to the fertile, agricultural landscape in the south, Lanarkshire is a land of opportunity for a diverse and exciting range of Scotland’s growth business sectors.
Connectivity
Businesses in Lanarkshire cite the excellent connectivity to the rest of Scotland, UK and the world. Three of Scotland’s international airports are located less than an hour away and there are direct links to the UK’s main rail lines.
Lanarkshire also lies at the heart of Scotland’s motorway network, with the M80 northbound, the M74 southbound and the M8 connecting the east and west of the country all running through the region.
The M74, beginning in Glasgow and running south towards England, is the main route into significant markets to trade goods and services and with it running through the centre of Lanarkshire, the region couldn’t be better placed to take advantage of new market opportunities
Cultural Lanarkshire
Cultural opportunities also abound in Lanarkshire with a number of registered museums and entertainment venues such as Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre, East Kilbride Arts Centre, Rutherglen Town Hall & Lanark Memorial Hall to name a few. Lanarkshire also hosts events such as the Strathaven Balloon Festival and Beer Festival in the summer. The central location also provides easy access for major music concerts in Glasgow and the world famous Edinburgh International Festival.
Education
Lifelong learning and education is valued in Lanarkshire and the region is proud to have award winning colleges and its very own university campus; New College Lanarkshire, which was recently awarded as ‘Best in the UK’ at WorldskillsUK and the University of the West of Scotland provide vocational courses and a wide range of degree level qualifications respectively, supporting almost 40,000 students every year. South Lanarkshire College remains one of the country’s top performing colleges according to the Scottish Funding Council’s national performance indicators.
With awards for innovation, workforce development, working with businesses and marketing, Lanarkshire’s education institutions are a major attraction for new businesses, each producing high quality and motivated graduates and PhD students every year.
Entrepreneurial Heritage
Historically, Lanarkshire was the most populous region in Scotland and from the mid 18th century to the 20th century, Lanarkshire profited from its rich seams of coal and then steel and heavy engineering. And as the global and UK economies have changed over the years, Lanarkshire has reinvented itself to meet the challenges of the future.
The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in Lanarkshire and over the last ten years, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have led the growth in the region. Recent statistics have indicated that over 14,000 SMEs are located in Lanarkshire, accounting for 48% of the total jobs generated in the area.
Location
The location of Lanarkshire makes it the number one choice for businesses. Situated in the heart of Scotland’s central belt, Lanarkshire has a unique position to do business in a number of different markets. Lanarkshire’s central location, between Scotland’s largest two cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, is a major asset for businesses, visitors and residents.
People
Lanarkshire has the second largest populated region in Scotland with a working age population of 425,000 (and total population of 652,300). It is also home to many of the nation’s most notable talents, including Scottish poet Allan Ramsey, 19th century missionary and explorer David Livingstone, engineering pioneer Sir Robert McAlpine, and more recently, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Charlie Flynn.
Lanarkshire Business Show, Events for Business, Lanarkshire Business week, Motherwell, Ravenscraig