Leading Higher Education Provider Expands Presence at Bruntwood SciTech’s Historic St. James’

QA Higher Education, a leading UK higher education provider, is deepening its presence in Manchester by expanding its footprint at St James’, a landmark innovation hub owned by Bruntwood SciTech – the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to serving the growth of the tech, innovation and science sectors and a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G, and Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

A lynchpin of the St James’ community since 2015, QA Higher Education has signed a new 10-year lease that will see it take a further 10,000 sq ft, bringing its total footprint in the city to 37,000 sq ft which the company will move into in October. 

Working in close partnership with UK universities, QA Higher Education delivers more than 100 foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes across in-demand skills subjects like Cybersecurity, Computer Science and Business Management. Located at the gateway to Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor – an internationally significant knowledge quarter and innovation cluster – St James’ has become home to a collective of education providers who are supporting the growth of Manchester’s highly skilled, in demand, talent pipeline, as well as a number of tech and R&D-led businesses, with businesses based there benefiting from its close proximity - and direct connections via Bruntwood SciTech’s partnerships - to the city’s leading academic institutions and clinical partners. QA Higher Education’s recommitment to St James’ places them at the centre of this vibrant cluster and enables them to continue developing leading degree programmes from the heart of one of the UK’s fastest-growing innovation ecosystems.

St James’ is an iconic 280,000 sq ft Edwardian Baroque building in the city centre with a rich history dating back to 1912, when it was constructed as the purpose-built headquarters of the Calico Printers Association – an amalgamation of textile printing companies and merchants. A reminder of Manchester’s indelible relationship with the cotton industry and role in the Industrial Revolution, the space today is a thriving hub for fast growing innovation-led and innovation-supporting businesses, complete with an abundance of flexible workspaces that supports businesses as they grow.

A short walk from St James’, Bruntwood SciTech has also recently unveiled the redefined ‘Thread Works’ cluster. Located at the gateway to the Oxford Road Corridor, Thread Works brings together four heritage buildings into a vibrant new hub for creative, tech and innovation businesses, further strengthening the wider city centre ecosystem that St James’ forms an integral part of.

Enhancing its appeal, St James’ also hosts an impressive community of acclaimed food and shopping retailers such as Bundobust, Listo Burrito, and Pizza Express. With Oxford Road Station immediately opposite, and popular venues like The Palace Theatre, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, YES, Gorilla, Dog Bowl, The Ritz, and HOME all within a short five-minute walk, St James' offers prime accessibility and convenience. As part of the St James’ community,  QA Higher Education will continue to benefit from new connections to potential collaboration opportunities with more than 400 startup, scaleup and global businesses based across Bruntwood SciTech’s network of innovation hubs in Manchester and Cheshire, and its robust network of over 1,100 innovation-focused businesses nationwide. 

Abi Wynn, Associate Director, Commercial Account Management, Bruntwood SciTech, said: “QA Higher Education’s expansion at St James’ highlights the strength of Manchester’s education sector and the calibre of talent emerging here. QA Higher Education is committed to helping students realise their full potential and gain the skills required to thrive in an innovation-driven economy, an ambition that aligns closely with our vision of fostering knowledge sharing across our communities. 

“We’re proud to support our customers as they scale and evolve. Our ability to provide flexible, future-ready workspaces and foster meaningful connections enables organisations like QA Higher Education to grow at pace and adapt to changing demands. Their expansion at St James’ is a great example of how we’re enabling long-term growth through connected, collaborative ecosystems.”

Simon Nelson, Chief Executive at QA Higher Education said: “At QA Higher Education, we’re delighted to further deepen our commitment to Manchester, a city renowned for its rich culture of innovation and ambition. Our expansion at St James’ reflects our belief in the city’s extraordinary talent and dynamic ecosystem, and enables us to help more individuals unlock their career potential. By working alongside leading partners such as Bruntwood SciTech and the broader community, we look forward to playing an even greater role in Manchester’s ongoing growth story.”

QA Higher Education’s expansion comes as Bruntwood SciTech continues its £243m programme of investment into Manchester’s innovation hubs, having brought forward projects totalling 727,000 sq ft of new workspace to support the growth of the innovation sectors since October 2023. Developments underway include Pall Mall, King’s House, and Greenheys at Manchester Science Park.