Complementing our major corporates is a thriving start-up community with over 760 business start-ups per annum and a 62.2% three year survival rate.
Universities within the area
Basingstoke has access to seven universities within the region, including one Russell Group university – the University of Southampton. Through these academic and research institutions our key sectors are well supported by the extensive range of academic programmes on offer, providing over 100,000 graduates every year.
Courses in business, finance, technology and creative arts are widely available helping support the growth of our knowledge-based economy, together with more specialist areas such as engineering, medicine and real estate – helping to bolster the skills base available locally.
- University of Creative Arts Farnham
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Reading
- Solent University
- University of Southampton
- University of Surrey
- University of Winchester
The University Centre, Basingstoke offers higher-level study programmes designed to boost employment and career prospects in the area. The full and part-time courses range from entry-level Access to Higher Education, to Higher National Certificates and foundation degrees, through to professional Level 7 qualifications.
Colleges
Basingstoke has two colleges. Basingstoke College of Technology is in the top 30% of colleges nationally for timely achievement of apprenticeships for all ages and levels* and 97% of students progress to university, employment or further studies**. Queen Mary’s College is placed in the top 5% of all A-level providers across the country.
Find out more about education in Basingstoke and Deane.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Businesses that offer apprenticeships view them as beneficial to their long term development. Apprentices can be new or current employees and can be used to recruit and train new staff or to develop existing staff. A number of providers including Basingstoke College of Technology and Basingstoke ITEC offer apprenticeships and The University of Winchester offers degree apprenticeships.
The Apprenticeship & Skills Partnership offers free and impartial advice to organisations of any size across Hampshire and Surrey regarding apprenticeship and skills training. It can help your organisation to find the most suitable training provider and offer guidance on funding apprenticeship training, levy transfers and sourcing apprentices.
Developing your employees
As well as apprenticeships, Basingstoke College of Technology also offers a range of work related courses and can offer bespoke training on request. Please see the work-related training pages on their website for more information.
Green Skills training
A series of free online green skills courses have been created and are available through the Innovation South Virtual Campus (ISVC) learning platform. The courses are designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or prior knowledge, and include these topics:
- Carbon Literacy
- Introduction to Domestic Retrofitting
- Introduction to Retrofit Technologies
- Introduction to Sustainable Resource Management
- Rainwater and Greywater Harvesting
- Tree Planting and Climate Change
