Jobs in Telford | Pictures of Telford

Flanked by Shrewsbury to the west and Birmingham to the east is the ‘new town’ of Telford in Shropshire. First designated in the 1960s under the name of Dawley New Town, subsequent expansion of the area by a further 12,000 acres taking in the historic Ironbridge Gorge prompted a change of name and an Amendment Order saw the end of Dawley New Town and the emergence of Telford, in honour of the prolific engineer Thomas Telford who had been Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire in the 1780’s.

With a population close to 138,000 Telford is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic towns in the UK on account of its young and progressive culture – a facet that has led some to suggest that the town’s population will grow to over 200,000 within the next twenty years.

Then and now
Despite being a new town with a history of just forty or so years in its current guise, the area around what is now called Telford was dominated by the agricultural industry, with a number of farms scattered across the region. Purposefully constructed during the 1960s under the government’s plans to relieve the housing congestion in Birmingham and West Midlands and to stimulate the regional ecomomy, Telford’s prosperity greatly improved after a sluggish start to life when the town was linked to the M54 and it is now one of the UK's fastest growing and most successful new towns.

Indeed, this meant that all businesses would be within as little as ten minutes of the motorway providing direct access to the national road network, as well as train and freight services and links to nearby airports and ports. And with England’s second city, Birmingham, just 30 miles away Telford has quickly developed as a major regional growth point in the wider West Midlands region.

Arguably the turning point for Telford in economic terms was in the early 1980s when American company Unimation and three Japanese firms Nikon, video tape makers Hitachi Maxell and office equipment manufacturers Ricoh established their European headquarters in the town. This paved the way for an influx of overseas investment which to date has 130 foreign companies employing over 15,000 people, almost one fifth of the total workforce.

And manufacturing continues to be the mainstay of the local economy with around 23,000 (24 per cent of the workforce) people plying their trade within this sector for companies such as GKN, Siemens and Fruit of the Loom. Despite a decline in manufacturing employment in recent years, in line with the national trend, Telford continues to have a significantly higher percentage of its workforce employed within this sector compared to the national average of 11 per cent.

Another sector that is thriving in Telford is the finance, banking and professional services sector. With its strategic location and lower business rates coupled with a fast-growing population, Telford attracts a number of leading financial organizations such as CapGemini - of the world's largest information technology, management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies. Indeed, the number of people making their living in this sector has more than doubled since 1995 to more than 15,000.

However, the electronics and polymers industries are emerging a two of the key drivers for the local economy. Telford is recognized as a beacon for attracting leading edge companies in the polymer industry and has been known around the world as ‘Polymer Valley’ since the 1980s, with a number of multi-national businesses based here, including EDS, Epson and Denso.

And another major growth area is business tourism. Telford is positioned among the top UK conference and event towns and cities with a national and international client base. Over 6,000 events are hosted each year in the region attracting over 500,000 delegates. This rapidly growing sector is worth over £80 million to the local economy.

But the biggest employer after manufacturing is the public sector. As the administrative centre for the region, more than 22,000 people are employed across a variety of functions within local government, health, education and public administration. Indeed, Telford & Wrekin Council is the single biggest employer in this sector with over 6,000 members of staff, whilst Harper Adams University College and Telford College of Arts and Technology (TCAT) - one of the top performing colleges in the UK – are the leading employers within the education field.

Elsewhere, Telford has attracted several large IT services companies, including EDS who support the MOD contract from the Euston Park site, as well as a vast array of clients across the world from the Plaza building. And the growing retail sector is another significant contributor to Telford’s economy and responsible for proving jobs for approximately 14,000 people.

Key business districts
Lakeside is Telford’s premier site within the Wolverhampton Telford Technology Corridor. Linking with the facilities at the University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus – like the e-Innovation Centre and the Innovative Product Development Centre (IPDC) – a number of high quality offices are designated to develop high growth companies.

Nedge Hill Science and Technology Park is already home to companies like Smart Water Technology and also sits within the Technology Corridor. Improvements will see the park firmly re-established as a major opportunity for technology based businesses. Town Centre proposals include commercial development opportunities that will complement major existing office schemes like the 15,300 sq m (165,000 sq ft) Telford Plaza, which houses organisations like HM Revenue & Customs and EDS.

Around 700 of Telford’s businesses are located on three major industrial estates - Stafford Park, Halesfield and Hortonwood. A programme of targeted investment and regeneration include proposals for a new Enterprise Centre which will provide quality accommodation and business support to attract new business start-ups and encourage entrepreneurship in the area.

The continued growth in tourism is vital and millions are being invested across Shropshire. In Telford these include: - Blists Hill Victorian Town, the flagship visitor attraction in the gorge, which has received £10 million from Advantage West Midlands further expansion of facilities at the Telford International Centre, one of the UK’s top 10 conference facilities, a £5 million investment in the Telford Golf and Country club by QHotels the Town Centre proposals that will encourage and support a night time economy.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, take a look at some of the current property available to buy or let in Telford.

Take a closer look
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see some images from in and around Telford below.

Looking for local vacancies? See all current jobs in Telford or find out more information on the local area.