Business technology specialist The Access Group has committed to creating 500 new jobs as it officially unveiled its new £20 million 109,000 sq ft purpose-built headquarters in Loughborough.
The building is home to around 570 of the company’s 4,680 staff globally, with room for another 400 in expansion.
Access plans to deliver more high-value roles and long-term career opportunities for people in the East Midlands, including graduates and apprentices. It has already hired 212 people based in Loughborough since June this year, helping to bring its total global workforce to more than 4,000 people – up from 850 in 2015.
More than 300 graduates and apprentices have also joined in the last two years, and there are plans to recruit another 70 over the coming eight months.
The Access Group is a provider of cloud-based business software for mid-sized organisations and has more than 55,000 customers working across a range of sectors including health and social care, education and not-for-profit.
Chris Bayne, Chief Executive of The Access Group, said: “We’ve always had a strong presence in the East Midlands, as well as other areas of the UK, but strategically the region was the natural choice over London and the South East when planning our new flagship office.
“Many of our employees come from the Midlands but our central location means we’re well-placed to attract talented people from all over the country, including graduates from Loughborough and the nearby cities of Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. It also helps us to reach our customers across the country easily.”
He added that the offices reflect what The Access Group stands for as a company today: “We wanted to create an environment where people enjoy working and can collaborate with their colleagues because this is what drives innovation. The state-of-the-art building has 300 solar panels that provide our electricity, as well as electric car charging points and a water management system.
“We’re also proud to cement our partnership with our neighbour Loughborough University by featuring artworks from students around the building.”
Access Group employee Jo Battisson and her daughter Hannah cut the ribbon in front of the offices at a special event, joined by the company’s Chief Sales Officer Jon Jorgensen and Loughborough MP Jane Hunt.
Hannah suffers from bipolar disorder and Jo’s colleagues nominated Bipolar UK as their charity of the year after hearing about how it had helped Hannah, Jo and their family.
The offices were built by Leicestershire County Council at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) and the contract with The Access Group is believed to be the biggest single-occupier deal in the county in a century.
