4 Exciting Things You Didn’t Know About Studying in Northampton

Credit: University of Northampton

As we mentioned earlier, Northampton’s independent businesses are thriving, so it’s no surprise Northampton featured in The 21 Best Towns and Cities in Britain for Business 2019. Informi, a business advice service, also ranked the town as the third best place to start a small business in the UK in 2018.

Businesses are boosted by the fact Northampton is home to the largest urban enterprise zone in the UK. The Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone is where the University of Northampton opened its brand new £330 million Waterside Campus in 2018, with the aim of improving links between higher education and the local business community.  

Former University of Northampton student, Tom Anastasiou, who studied BA Business Entrepreneurship, set up his very first business venture in the town. Having noticed the difficulty in getting both nutritious and delicious meals for lunch or after hitting the gym, Tom launched Green & Lean, a fitness food business which sells healthy and tasty sports nutrition meals on the go.

“I think the grants made available at the University of Northampton really helped my business idea and assisted a lot with funding,” said Tom.

“The marketing and accounting modules gave me a good understanding of some basic principles which I have applied in my business and still use to this day. Being able to launch my food truck on campus to test my idea is something I will be forever grateful for and I have so much gratitude for the lecturers that made this possible.

“Allowing business students to make their idea a reality surpasses the requirements of a university. The real-world learning experiences that University of Northampton give students is priceless. If you want to start a business this is the course for you.”

The University of Northampton’s Enterprise Boost offers one-to-one business advice sessions and the Changemaker Hub works with students before, during and after their studies to develop and enhance employability prospects. If you’re considering setting up your own business venture after graduation, you’ll be in very good hands here.

Northampton’s shoe and leather industry dates back almost 900 years and it’s widely considered the shoe-making capital of the world. Not impressed? What if we told you the town has created shoes for some very famous clients, including James Bond, The Beatles, Prince Charles and even Darth Vader!

The shoe and leather industry is still thriving in Northampton, which is good news for anyone studying leather technology or fashion. As the UK’s only university to integrate leather technology with fashion, marketing, business and environmental issues, the University of Northampton boasts an on-campus working tannery for practical leather making as well as laboratories for leather testing.

Not every university town or city has to be a budget breaker. Studying outside of London means Northampton is significantly cheaper, yet you won’t have to compromise on the quality of your education or your lifestyle.

Plus, the larger cities of London and Birmingham are just a short commute away, and there are five international airports all within an hour’s commute. In short, Northampton’s location in the heart of England makes travelling in, out and around the city both cheap and easy.

Lead image credit: University of Northampton