Why Plymouth

We are Britain's Ocean City. A confident and growing city which is undergoing a cultural revolution, from our exceptional creative industry to our international marine sector. 

There is quite simply nowhere better to live, work and play than Plymouth. 

Plymouth benefits from world class connectivity and a network that accelerates growth and enables business investment. According to the Centre for Cities and Ofcom, Plymouth is one of the top ten locations in the country for superfast broadband penetration.

The city also has superb transport links with an international airport under an hour away and the central train station running 16 daily services to London, three of which are high speed services offering journey times of just over three hours to England’s capital.

Plymouth has hosted a range of internationally recognised events, such as the British Firework Championships and SailGP; and holds annual events such as Plymouth Half Marathon, Flavour Fest, Armed Forces Day, Seafood Festival, and Bonfire Night, to name just a few. 

The lifestyle of you and your employees is also an important factor in deciding where to base your business and Plymouth certainly delivers on that. Few cities can rival Plymouth's rich maritime heritage, stunning waterfront and natural harbour, vibrant cultural life and its close proximity to Dartmoor, one of Britain's finest National Parks.

Plymouth is the largest city south of Bristol and the 15th largest city in England, with a population of approximately 263,000, and a further 100,000 in its travel-to-work area. The city has an economic output of £5.63 billion, providing 111,500 jobs. Plymouth is the most significant economic centre in the southwest peninsula and the largest urban area in the Heart of the South West (HotSW) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

It has a large and highly skilled workforce, and has developed a broad based industrial and business community providing the perfect environment for success.

Plymouth's wage rates are extremely competitive, with the average gross weekly pay £441.80 per week compared to the national average of £479.10.

The city offers a diverse mix of high quality modern and historic managed business premises and excellent provision for new start-ups.

House prices in Plymouth are over 25 per cent lower than the national average. Land Registry quotes the average price for all types of property in Plymouth as £164,418 in January 2017, compared to the national average for England and Wales of £218,225.

With two universities, as well as Plymouth College of Art, the University of Plymouth Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and Plymouth Radiology Academy, the city has over 50,000 students potentially providing a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. The city is also home to University Technical College and Marine Academy, both of which are run in close collaboration with local employers and higher education providers to educate and train students to create highly-skilled, work-ready employees.

Plymouth has also begun a new initiative bringing together organisations to inspire local people of all ages to develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills and to go on to pursue STEM-related careers. Our vision is that by 2031, Plymouth will be a thriving, innovative international ocean city with STEM opportunities driving the region’s growth and productivity.  City College Plymouth has also opened its new £13million state-of-the-art Regional Centre of Excellence for STEM, which has the aim to be the leading provider of innovative and technical education in the South West.