A training and apprenticeship provider has invested £75,000 turning the former Derby Telegraph offices into a digital hub.
EMA Training has created three floors of collaborative workspace, break-out areas, exam suites and meeting rooms inside its new Siddals Road headquarters.
The building was home to the Derby Telegraph and DerbyshireLive until last year, when the team at the paper and online operation moved to a working-from-home model.
It has taken two months for EMA Training to renovate the offices, which cover almost 9,000 sq ft, ahead of a big push to promote apprenticeships and staff training as a vital component of the city’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
And it is inviting anybody who wants to find out more about its services – and who wants to get an early glimpse at its new facilities – to an open event this Friday.
Visitors will be able to take part in taster events, including an R & D tax credit session, as well as try out the pioneering career discovery platform in virtual reality which is designed to help young people make informed decisions about their personality, career insights and colleges.
School leavers will be able to have professional head shots taken for their CVs and career guidance will be provided on the day from the company’s recruitment team and trainers.
There will be course taster sessions in IT, digital skills and finance as well as a relaxation session with a mental health first aider.
EMA Training chief executive Tracey Mosley said “The expansion into this building is extremely exciting for us. The city has so much to offer our learners and we want to keep local talent in Derby.
“The support we have had from the employers we work with; our external stakeholders and our team has been incredible.
“Our people are the core of everything we do, and it has been great to see their involvement in each phase come to life.
“All the local businesses who helped renovate the previously empty office have done a fantastic job, in a really quick time.
“Together we have turned the building into a collaborative, innovative working space that supports the new hybrid way of working.”
The new office is due to be officially opened by businesswomen Eileen Richards MBE, who was recently made a deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire.
EMA Training – which offers accredited qualifications in programmes such as AAT, CCNA and CIM – has expanded from 10 members of staff to 30 in the last two years.
Mrs Mosley said: “This is such an exciting time for EMA Training and our new prominent position in the heart of the city means we will be able to bring our ground-breaking and exceptional expertise to even more young people and employers.
“We pride ourselves in having access to brilliant subject specialist speakers to inspire our apprentices to achieve their potential.
“And with our high staff retention – an impressive 100 per cent since January 2021 – our apprentices and employers can rely on consistency.
“EMA training has gone from strength to strength in the last three years and as the city builds back better we hope that we will be an important part of this recovery.”
Eileen Richards said: “I am delighted to have been given the honour to officially open EMA’s new training hub.
“The East Midlands is renowned for their entrepreneurial and business spirit which is why it is fantastic that EMA are providing a place for emerging and existing talent to be upskilled through apprenticeships and training programmes to continue to add value and expertise within our region.”
