| Introduction


Customer Contact Centre 
With more than 250 operations employing over 62,000 people, the Manchester City Region has established itself as a sought after location for customer contact centres. 
Key to ManchesterÕs success in building the industry on such a large scale is the ability to support a multitude of centres in terms of size, scope and sector with a flexible and multilingual skilled labour force. 
The city regionÕs labour pool continues to live up to its reputation as one that delivers excellent service at a reasonable cost, which is critical to the success and sustainability of any customer contact centre. With a number of distinct labour pools, from experienced staff to students and university graduates, Manchester has the capacity to support both UK and international operations on a long-term basis. 
Instrumental to this is the ability to provide continued professional development for employees within the industry. The North West has worked to develop a career path for the industry with Skills Solutions, Call North West and the University of Central Lancashire now providing sector-specific qualifications from basic customer service up to a Masters degree in Call Centre Management. 

Energy and the Environment 
Waste management, energy management and renewable energy are all growing sub-sectors in Manchester, the Northwest and the UK. 
Manchester is one of the most important centres for nuclear research. With a strong skills base in the region and an outstanding centre for research at the University of Manchester, the city has attracted numerous manufacturers, engineers and consultants including William Hare, PB Power and Day & Zimmerman. 
Following ŌThe Future of Nuclear PowerÕ consultation process by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, announcements have been made to re-energise the nuclear power industry and build new reactors in the UK. 
The University of Manchester and the Dalton Nuclear Institute support ManchesterÕs research capabilities. The Institute provides the focal point for the UniversityÕs nuclear research and education activities and interacts with external bodies nationally and internationally. Launched in July 2005, its remit is to act as the driver and coordinator of the growth of ManchesterÕs nuclear expertise base and to become one of the world-leading centres of nuclear research and education.