Within the last 18 months Coventry & Warwickshire’s economy has seen a number of changes. The recession has affected local, national and international firms and led to job losses in a wide range of companies leading to higher unemployment.

In Coventry and Warwickshire the manufacturing sector has been hit hardest, and we have seen job losses in post and telecommunications, retail, construction and finance.  There has been a big reduction in operator level jobs, customer service jobs and some skilled trades.

Looking to the future?

Although it’s not certain, Coventry & Warwickshire’s future jobs could be based around these industries:

• New forms of power generation e.g. Power Academy based in Rugby
• Green industries and developing technology for low carbon vehicles
• Computer gaming & serious gaming
• Aerospace
• Innovative healthcare
• Precision/specialist engineering
• Digital & wireless technologies and its use for security
• Creative industries  
• Tourism – Coventry & Warwickshire, as part of the West Midlands, is currently being promoted as a place to visit

Plus there is the re-development of Coventry city centre and a plan to build an extra 82,000 homes in the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire area. If these project go -ahead the projects could bring new jobs and a range of opportunities to the area.

The area will also welcome Severn Trent moving into a purpose built office in Coventry and there are plans for the former Jaguar plant at Browns Lane to be redeveloped to provide new jobs. At Hams Hall in North Warwickshire, on-line supermarket Ocado is planning a distribution centre with around 2,000 job opportunities attached to it. And these are just the ones we know about, there will be more in the future.

Your future career  

If you are considering your career options at this time, it’s important to do your research and find out as much as you can about the jobs and industries you are interested in, as well as finding out more about new and growing industries.

If you need help with your options, or would like more information, you can contact the Connexions service. Connexions, which is part of the Integrated Youth Support Service, provide information, advice and guidance to young people aged 13-19 (and up to 24 for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities) to help them prepare for their future. 

If you are a parent or adult who has been affected by the recession and needs help to consider your next step, free information and advice on jobs, careers and training is available from nextstep West Midlands. Funded by the Skills Funding Agency, Next Step West Midlands provides free face-to-face and telephone careers advice from local venues across the West Midlands.