A recent report from Colin Sinclair, the chairman of the Manchester Investment Development Agency (MIDAS) states that Manchester will soon become what Barcelona is to Madrid or Milan is with Rome…Here’s a few thoughts:

The perception that the good jobs only exist in London has changed. Manchester is now regarded as one of Europe’s top 10 investment locations (ft DI 2008) with some really exciting projects such as Spinningfieids and Beetham Tower giving the city a new skyline and huge investment. This has given global firms such as Siemens, Google, Cisco and IBM the opportunity to move into the region and tap into a huge talent pool.

Research suggests that well over 50% of the 115,000 graduates in Manchester stay in the region after graduation (ONS/ME 2008) and according the Guardian, Manchester is the most sought after destination for international students.

The transformation of Manchester from post-industrial decline to a shining cosmopolitan city is down to a lot of things; the central position at the heart of the UK, some great entrepreneurial spirit and some really good universities producing bucket loads of talent.

Long may it continue!