As the finishing touches are applied to Birmingham’s 2013 UK City of Culture bid, Cllr Martin Mullaney believes success could halt the city’s ‘brain drain’.
The Chairman of the Birmingham Cultural Partnership is confident a year under the national and international spotlight would provide a double boost for the business community.
He believes:
- Firms will be encouraged to relocate to Birmingham.
- Graduates will be encouraged to stay and build a career in the city after leaving university.
The four UK City of Culture finalists – Birmingham, Derry, Norwich and Sheffield – submit their final bids on Friday (May 21) and after a period of assessment the winning city will be named in July.
Cllr Mullaney says success for Birmingham will enhance the city’s profile. He added: “One of the problems we have had for a long time is retaining our graduates when they leave universities in Birmingham. This is a real opportunity to address that issue.
“It is widely recognised that culture has an important role to play in making a city attractive to graduates and skilled workers. So this is an opportunity not only to stop the brain drain of graduates and skilled workers, but to reverse it.
“For 12 months we will be in a position to highlight why Birmingham is a great city to live in and to relocate to. This opportunity to advertise ourselves and shout about our great city is one of the major benefits of winning the title.
“We will be in the national spotlight for a year and we hope firms will be encouraged to relocate their national headquarters to the city. This title offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our city.”
ENDS
Last September Birmingham Chamber of Commerce warned the West Midlands economy would suffer unless the drain of graduates leaving the region’s universities was not halted. The warning came after research showed only a fifth of undergraduates attending the region’s universities intended to start their careers in the West Midlands.
For further information on Birmingham’s UK City of Culture bid please visit the bid website: www.birminghamculture.org
For further information, please contact Geoff Coleman on 0121 303 3501
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