Fora‘s exec chairman Olly Olsen has announced a new program launching in April at their King’s Cross location, offering 100 A-level students the opportunity to combine exam revision with workplace exposure.

The free initiative, developed in partnership with Related Argent and KX Recruit, will provide students aged 18 and over with study space, tutor support, and connections to London’s business leaders. The program aims to address growing concerns about young people’s workplace readiness by bridging the gap between classroom education and professional environments.

Yardi‘s CoworkingCafe has also just released its UK and Ireland Q4 2024 Coworking Report.

In it they report that the UK and Ireland have a combined inventory of 3,326 flexible workspaces, up from 3,089 in Q3 2024. Greater London leads the way with 895 spaces, followed by Manchester (78), Birmingham (55), and Bristol (53). Dublin dominates the Irish market with 120 spaces.

Pricing for coworking subscriptions shows considerable variation. UK median price for a dedicated desk is £210, while open workspaces average £156. Brighton and Hove command the highest prices for dedicated desks and open workspaces, while Greater London is the most expensive for virtual offices and meeting rooms. In Ireland, dedicated desks and open workspaces are generally more expensive than in the UK, with median prices of €277 and €200 respectively.

When it comes to the largest operators in the region, by number of spaces, Regus leads with 78, followed by Fora (63), Workspace Group (57), Spaces (40) and The Boutique Workplace Company (39).

Fora and CoreNet have co-published a report that identifies 7 key drivers that will define the NextGen workplace, and highlights the importance of staying ahead of these trends to attract and retain top talent.

What are the 7 drivers? Flexibility, Social & Integrated, Diverse & Inclusive, Wellness Focussed, Tech- & AI-powered, Growth Orientated and Purpose & Value Driven.

CoworkingCafe just released their quarterly report on the state of the coworking in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In it they share that the region now boasts 3,089 locations (2,718 in England, 202 in Scotland, 105 in Wales and 64 in Northern Ireland). Greater London still leads by size with 887 spaces, followed by Manchester with 74 hubs.

The national median price for dedicated desks sits at £210, with Brighton and Hove holding the highest median price at £310, and Newcastle and Sheffield at the other end of the price spectrum at £189. Open space median prices are £160 (£245 in Greater London). VO are £50 per month nationally, while Greater London has the highest median price at £100. Meeting rooms are listed at a median hourly rate of £25 at the national level, reaching as high as £46 / hour in Greater London.

Regus leads the pack regionally with 195 coworking spaces throughout the UK (with less than half of its national portfolio is concentrated within the 15 busiest coworking markets). Fora comes in second with 66 spaces nationally, 64 of which are concentrated in the top 15 markets – particularly London. With a similar distribution pattern, 55 out of Workspace Group’s portfolio of 57 coworking locations, are in the top 15 cities, predominantly in the London area. The Boutique Workplace Company comes in fourth with 40 and Spaces rounds out the top 5 with 39 coworking spaces.

Ireland has a total of 234 coworking spaces, almost half of which can be found in Dublin – 116. The top three operators in Dublin are Pembr, which has 18 coworking spaces, Iconic Offices with 12 spaces and Regus with 9 spaces.

Fora officially introduced their new offering at Sixty London Wall, which features flex space, 17 meeting rooms, communal spaces, café, garden terrace, and on-site fitness studio with 12 classes a week.