Back in 2009 (is it really 2010 already?!), Hull was labelled the most enterprising city in the Yorkshire region, although it was pipped to the post by Lowestoft in Suffolk in these national awards in November.

So, what does it mean to be “enterprising”?

According to online dictionaries, it’s to be “good at thinking of and doing new and difficult things, especially things that will make money”

Does that sound like Hull to you?

In the context of these awards, it’s more specifically aimed at the work of Hull Enterprise Partnership which works hard to help businesses in Hull, and in this case, there are some good case studies of how jobs have been created and how communities have been transformed.

One of the examples quoted is The St Stephen’s development. Apparently, the scheme has created 1,268 new jobs against its target of 2,500, with 80% of the jobs created going to local people and 68% of jobs going to those in target areas. 

So, not bad eh? You can read all about Hull’s achievements here

The stats show the largest rises in the number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (outside of London) and Hull is actually fifth in the top ten cities to be suffering, with the jobless increasing from 8062 in Feb 08 to 13366 in Feb 09.

It may come as no surprise, after reading time and time again about key businesses in Hull closing down or laying off employees. In fact, here at Cityvisitor, we’ve noticed a 15% rise in job searches and a 56% rise in the number of people looking for recruitment agencies, so it is clear that people are struggling.

The increase in just a year is still staggering though, and despite more talk of “green shoots” in the press, it’s certainly not reflected in any of these cities listed in this top ten – which, it must be pointed out, are all from either the North, Scotland and Midlands.

You can see the table here, or if you’re hunting yourself, look up employment agencies in Hull

The majority of the coverage has focused on how apprenticeships can add real value to businesses and that although many are struggling with the recession, now is the best time to be looking at developing talent. There’s even a Government target of reaching 130,000 apprenticeships completed by 2010.

If you’re a business owner in Hull, is it something you have ever thought of? To be fair, Hull seems to be playing its part; the number of apprentices qualifying in this area has increased dramatically in the past couple of years. Some 840 people passed an apprenticeship last year, compared to only 450 in 2003/04.

So, how do you tap into this wealth of enthusiastic workers? Or perhaps you are a young person wanting to enrol on a course yourself? Hull City Council website on training and development is a good place to start, which you can find here