Sheffield enjoys growing reputation for jobs and quality of life, bosses say
“This is a massive pro for Sheffield. People can have a really good quality of life here.”
Sheffield is riding high with a “really credible growth story” and unrivalled quality of life, a round table heard.
The city is creating jobs and attracting investment, just as its local neighbourhoods are enjoying a boom.
At the same time, demand for its famously accessible green spaces and countryside remains high.
The Star organised a round table to talk about the city’s current jobs market.
It was attended by Eddie Davidson, operations and technology director at Aegis Energy, which is investing in a new site in Sheffield, Sheffield employment lawyer Jay Bhayani, James Beighton of Skills Street, which connects business with young people, Anthony Hinchliffe, of major local employer Ant Marketing, Rebecca Harris of Localeyes, a regional marketing agency launched by The Star’s parent company Iconic Media Group, and David Walsh, business editor at The Star.
Eddie Davidson said the Aegis Energy hub, which is set to open next year at Smithywood Business Park near junction 35 of the M1, would create 250 jobs across the construction and supply chain.
It will provide EV charging and bio-fuel and hydrogen for trucks and lorries - the first of a planned network in the UK.
Significantly, the chief executive and several senior staff lived in Sheffield where they could enjoy nature and the city’s restaurants, cafes and bars and huge range of things to do.
He said: “This is a massive pro for Sheffield. People can have a really good quality of life here.”
Jay Bhayani is MD of Bhayani Law in Sheffield and executive director at manufacturing organisation Make UK.
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She said Sheffield had a “really credible growth story” thanks to schemes including the South Yorkshire Investment Zone, which is focused on advanced manufacturing and aims to create more than 8,000 skilled jobs by 2030, and the Defence Growth Deal which saw South Yorkshire selected as one of five regions to benefit from £250m from government.
Popular district centres such as Broomhill were thriving, she added.
Sharrow Vale has been compared to Notting Hill and Crookes is the sixth coolest neighbourhood in the UK, according to Time Out.
She said: “In my 35 years here, all the things I wanted for young people have happened, I think Sheffield is going in a really good direction.”
Anthony Hinchliffe said Ant Marketing was growing and needed 50 staff.
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The tele-sales business he founded in 1989 today employs 400 in the city. Over the years the job had been the making of several employees who went on to become business-owning entrepreneurs, he added.
He said: “We look for personality and work ethic.”
James Beighton said Skills Street aimed to change aspirations in the young.
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“The mindset is: ‘I’m from this area and I don’t do that job’. Instead we want to provide the opportunity to ‘see it be it’.”
And sometimes it was better to recruit on skills rather than qualifications to ensure the best person for the job.
Localeyes is a marketing brand and advertising platform launched by Iconic Media Group, one the largest regional news publishers in the UK and Ireland.
It offers Smarthire, a way for employers to advertise vacancies to more than 130 trusted print titles and digital platforms, as well as Indeed, CV-Library, Jobs Today and targeted social ads.
It also offers expert copywriters to craft an advert, CV database searching and AI-driven candidate sourcing.
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Then it conducts first and second stage screening to create a shortlist of top quality candidates.
Rebecca Harris, of Localeyes, said: “Stop waiting for candidates to find you. Cut through the noise, save valuable time, and secure the talent your business needs.”
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