Wednesday 5 August 2015

Newspaper column - Newquay papers 5 August 2915 - New jobs for Newquay area

I was delighted to attend the official opening of the King’s Service Centre at the Quintdown Business Park, Quintrell Downs on Friday last week.  The Service Centre specialises in IT support for staff and students of King’s College, London.  As an IT support centre the company has been able to bring 25 new IT jobs to Cornwall, the type of jobs we desperately need.

King’s College, London, is one of the top 20 universities in the world and among the oldest in England. King's has nearly 26,000 students from some 140 countries worldwide, and more than 7,000 staff.

Quintdown Business Park was selected as the preferred location for the Centre after a competitive tender process that pitched Newquay against other areas in the South-West.

The Service Centre has been made possible by a number of factors; European funding, specifically the ERDF investment in Quintrell Downs business park; and the regional improvements made to Cornwall’s IT and transport infrastructure.  The investment in superfast broadband and the proximity to Newquay airport were also both cited as key factors that led to the successful bid.

The 25 new jobs are only the beginning, the Centre hopes to grow the total staff to 100 within the next year.   The Centre will also be taking on apprentices.   The overall size of King’s College will give any new staff member access to a variety of career paths. 

Gareth Wright, Director of IT Services, King’s College was recently quoted as saying;

“We aim to be an employer of choice in the region, offering vocational training and development for local staff, to complement the world class academic education and research the university already provides.”

I wish the Centre success in the future, the atmosphere on Friday was one of hope and optimism and I look forward to watching this business develop.

This is exactly the type of business and jobs that we want to attract to mid-Cornwall.  It is also heartening that the investment we have made in our infrastructure to date is reaping rewards.  We need jobs like those offered by King’s Service Centre so that our young people can build rewarding and challenging careers here in Cornwall.

King’s College is leading the way; other universities are watching this project with interest.  The factors that drew King’s to Cornwall are still in place; the superfast broadband connection, the airport that brings the major cities of the UK within a journey time, and the existence of a stable, skilled workforce. 

These new jobs are a good first step, but there is much more to do.  I will continue to press for investment in infrastructure across mid-Cornwall so that we can build on these qualities and attract more of the same kind of businesses and jobs. 

My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and seek to make a real difference to the lives of everyone who needs help and support in any way.

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