On Monday 28th March 2011, MIDAS moved offices to co-locate with UKTI’s Northwest trade team as the Manchester Family of organisations re-positions itself for the future.
The MIDAS team can be reached at;
MIDAS
Warren Bruce Court
Warren Bruce Road
Trafford Park
Manchester
M17 1LB
Call us on 0161 875 2239, email info@midas.org.uk or visit www.investinmanchester.com
We look forward to continuing to work with you.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has selected Manchester as the location for its newest contact centre.
The new centre, which is expected to be operational in 2012, will employ up to 160 people and operate in addition to Etihad’s existing contact centres in Abu Dhabi, India and Australia.
Etihad is currently working with Manchester Airports Group to identify a suitable location on the airport campus for the centre.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our contact centres handle around 2.5 million calls each year, and we expect more than half of these calls to originate from non-Arabic speaking markets by 2012.
“As our network continues to grow, it is increasingly important for us to provide high quality, multilingual assistance for customers who choose to book directly with the airline.
“We looked closely at a range of potential locations in the United Kingdom and Europe, and undertook extensive research to find the location that offered us a population base with the right mix of languages and skill sets, as well as a high quality of telecommunications infrastructure.
“Manchester offered everything we needed, and had the added attraction of having strong, well-established business links with Abu Dhabi – a relationship we look forward to developing further.”
Mr Hogan paid tribute to the Manchester Investment and Development Agency (MIDAS), which had – under the guidance of the Chief Executive Officer of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein – made a compelling case for Manchester as a centre of excellence.
“MIDAS will continue to offer support and guidance as we commence recruitment for the centre,” Mr Hogan said.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “It is excellent news that Etihad is to base its European call centre here in Manchester, and we warmly welcome the announcement.
“I’m very grateful for the confidence Etihad is showing in Manchester, a demonstration that we really are leaders in this field and can provide a level of service which is second-to-none. It also shows that Manchester continues to be an attractive investment location for global business.”
Angie Robinson, Chief Executive at MIDAS, said: “MIDAS is delighted that Etihad has chosen Manchester as the home for their new European Contact Centre. This investment, which is set to create 160 jobs for the region, is testament to the strengths of Manchester’s multi-lingual talent pool and its ability to support major pan-European operations. MIDAS worked closely with Etihad to demonstrate why Manchester was the right location for this project and we’re looking forward to continuing to work alongside them as they grow their presence here.”
Charlie Cornish, Chief Executive of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said: “Today’s announcement reinforces our belief that Manchester Airport has the facilities to support the growth of airlines like Etihad and alongside their new premium lounge in Terminal 1 and the increased capacity on the Abu Dhabi route, we are delighted to see them continuing their investment in the region. We believe that there are unrivalled opportunities on offer at the airport and we hope to see many more deals of this nature in the future.”
The Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Green, said: “I am delighted Etihad Airways has chosen Manchester for its first contact centre in Europe and I wish them every success with their investment.
“The UK is the number one destination for contact centres in Europe and today’s announcement is a boost for Manchester. Etihad has chosen Manchester for its international connections, its strong telecommunications and ICT infrastructure as well as its supply of language talent.”
This announcement comes just ahead of Etihad’s 5th anniversary on the Manchester-Abu Dhabi route – the airline commenced operations to Manchester on March 26 2006 – and follows the recent announcement that Etihad increase its frequency to a double daily service operated by A330 aircraft from August 1, 2011.
Etihad’s commitment to Manchester also includes the opening of an Etihad premium lounge at Manchester Airport in December 2010 – one of only four lounges outside its home base of Abu Dhabi, and the shirt sponsorship of the Manchester City Football Club.
Source: Etihad
Funding to pave the way for major rail improvements in and around Greater Manchester has been welcomed by the region’s transport leaders.
The Chancellor announced in today’s Budget that £85 million has been allocated to plans that could see a new rail line, known as the Ordsall Chord, linking Victoria and Piccadilly stations as part of the Northern Hub.
This would allow for new connectivity for local and intercity services across Greater Manchester, potentially also linking via Salford Central and Oxford Road.
Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) welcomed the announcement as a first step towards the Northern Hub, a proposed programme of improvements to rail capacity and infrastructure around Greater Manchester that would benefit the north as a whole.
Councillor Ian Macdonald, Chair of GMITA, said: “Coming earlier than expected, this is excellent news for Greater Manchester – and for the wider north, as building the Ordsall Chord would mean faster journeys from Leeds, Liverpool, Bradford and Newcastle, would improve rail access to the Airport, and potentially provide better local connections to Manchester and Salford.
“The new line, which would be built mainly on brownfield land, would also take advantage of plans to improve Victoria and regenerate the area around it, as well as wider redevelopment in Salford and Manchester.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see an early commitment from the government to the Northern Hub, something we’ve been working towards along with Network Rail for the past three years.”
Councillor Keith Whitmore, Vice-hair of GMITA, said: “The Northern Hub proposals would provide a substantial boost to the region’s economy.
“Not only would the new line have considerable economic benefits once completed, but the construction of it would also create a significant number of jobs.
“The Northern Hub is an excellent scheme for the region and today’s announcement is a very positive start in making it a reality. The benefits to Greater Manchester in having the Northern Hub completed by 2019 are obvious, and we look forward to the government’s commitment to the scheme as a whole in the near future.”
Source: GMPTE
The University of Manchester’s world-famous Jodrell Bank Observatory has been put on the UK shortlist as a potential UNESCO World Heritage site.
Home to the iconic Lovell Telescope, the Cheshire research centre and visitor attraction has been put forward as one of 11 venues under consideration for the honour.
The shortlisting is a considerable accolade for Jodrell Bank, which is currently undergoing a £3 million facelift including a brand new Discovery Centre.
Announced by Tourism and Heritage Minister John Penrose, the list will be submitted to UNESCO with the aim of nominating new sites from 2012.
Part of The University of Manchester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, the Observatory is a unique combination of live science and a visitor attraction.
Dr Teresa Anderson, director of the new Discovery Centre, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to hear that we have been included on the UK Tentative List for World Heritage Site status.
“Jodrell Bank has earned its place on the list by being a place where live science has completely reframed the way in which humanity sees its place in the Universe.
“The priority for Jodrell Bank is research. This is its guiding principle, which means that research always takes precedence over conservation of its telescopes just as monuments to past achievements.
“This news is testament to the devotion and dedication of Sir Bernard and of all the staff who have worked at Jodrell Bank over the years.”
Having being set up at the end of World War II by Sir Bernard Lovell to study meteor showers, astronomers then began building the world’s largest radio telescopes in succession.
Despite its major role in the Space Race in the 1950s and 60s and being used as an early warning system during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Lovell Telescope in fact works predominantly on scientific research.
At the forefront of Astrophysics since its inception, it is world leading in the research of quasars, pulsars, gravitational lensing and in the development of interferometry.
Sir Bernard recently remarked that the field of astrophysics has evolved so much in recent years that the Observatory now studies phenomena that were unimagined at the time of its establishment.
Mr Penrose said: “Few places in the world can match the wealth of wonderful heritage we have available in the UK.
“The 11 places that make up the new UK Tentative List are fantastic examples of both our cultural and natural heritage and I believe they have every chance of joining famous names like the Sydney Opera House and the Canadian Rockies to become World Heritage Sites.
“I’d like to thank the independent expert panel chaired by Sue Davies who have been through all our nominations in detail to make sure the shortlist we now have gives us the best chance of success when putting forward any of these sites to UNESCO in future.”
Source: The University of Manchester
Oldham and Rochdale Councils have struck an agreement to join forces in their delivery of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services.
The neighbouring Local Authorities have both agreed to look at setting up a combined ICT ‘Centre of Excellence’ based in Oldham. Agilisys, the UK-based IT and business provider, is already commissioned to deliver ICT services in both Boroughs and will be involved in pulling together final plans to merge the services.
This is an agreement in principle and further details will be developed in the coming months with a view to the new facility launching in March 2012.
Councillor Mohammed Masud, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “This is an exciting and innovative proposal which will potentially create new jobs.”
“We are still in the early stages of discussions about this but there are many potential benefits from this shared vision.”
“This move would deliver efficiency savings for taxpayers in both Boroughs, for example, producing a service that delivers better value for public money.”
“The creation of this Centre of Excellence would also improve future prospects for achieving further cost savings by aligning the IT systems used across both Councils.”
“Crucially, this would also be a new set-up that is well positioned to offer ICT services to other local authorities and public sector partners, and potentially create more new jobs in the Borough.”
“We are already working positively in partnership with Rochdale Council and look forward to further discussions in the coming months to identify the best possible solution and create what we believe will be an exemplary joint IT service.”
Source: Oldham Council