Education is an important part of the Simply Business Services offering, from support for schools, colleges and academy trusts to sponsoring awards in the sector, as well as in bringing in new team members and training them in all aspects of the business.
Established to bring together three separate arms of the group – Simply Workspace, Simply Techspace and Simply Commspace – Simply Business Services provides a complete solution for clients in terms of office furniture, refurbishments and fit-outs, technology solutions and support, and telecommunications.
Clients in the education sector make up around 15 to 20% of the company’s business, and projects can include anything from supplying and installing new desks and chairs to advising on upgrades to IT operating systems and, probably most importantly, on how to get the most from what are often tight budgets.
In order to reach more potential clients and showcase the comprehensive range of services available, Simply Business Services appointed Group Development Manager Jay Neal-Edlington last summer. Her role is to support future growth by making sure all new and existing clients have a clear picture of what is available through the group of companies. Following on from that, a process to recruit an apprentice or trainee to support Jay and learn the fundamentals of a business development role is now under way.
Director Jon Bautista, who founded Simply Workspace, said: “A significant proportion of our business is with the education sector and we understand how important it is to us, whether we’re supporting clients in schools or colleges, or drawing on the sector’s expertise to train members of our own team.
“Education is unique in the sense that our clients are conscious that it’s not their own money they are spending, so they need to keep a careful eye on budgets. At the same time, they need to have systems that are as up to date as they can be, and that are reliable, safe and secure; and they need premises, furniture and infrastructure that is fit for purpose.”
Simply Business Services believes in a circular approach – recycling, refurbishing or repurposing wherever possible to reduce the cost for any client, but particularly those in education.
The team uses the term ‘lifecycle services’ which means looking at what needs upgrading, what needs replacing, and what can be reconfigured to do the job without the need for unnecessary financial outlay. Working with Simply Workspace and Simply Techspace together makes project management that much simpler by ensuring any work carried out is done with both the furniture and fitting, and the incorporation of IT infrastructure, in mind.
Matt Dann, Director of Simply Techspace, said: “It doesn’t matter that schools are working to tight budgets, they have to keep an eye on IT systems and make sure they are doing the job they need to do and that students can rely on them.
“We can usually find a way to help them recycle or repurpose older devices and find newer ones within our circular IT system that are better equipped to do what they need to do but with the savings that come with not buying new. Then we can provide ongoing IT support to make sure everything keeps running smoothly.
“For us, with any client, the important thing is delivering the best solution at the right price. And, as a trusted supplier, we are privy to special deals for the education sector and always pass those savings on to the client. We’ve taken on new clients that are surprised by that, because they haven’t had those cost savings passed on previously, and we’d never do that.
“As sponsors of the Secondary School of the Year at the Northamptonshire Education Awards 2025, we regularly heard the saying Education needs Business, Business needs Education and we totally agree with that. We often do careers sessions in schools or at events to support young people in what they want to do in the future.
“Last year, we teamed up with a local apprenticeship provider to set up a drop-in point the Grosvenor Centre where young people, those who’d just left school or were just about to, could come in and get advice on how to put together a CV or fill out a job application form.
“We’ll do what we can to help any of our clients get the best from their IT systems, keeping costs down and recycling and reusing where we can, and our education clients in particular can benefit from that.”
Contact Simply Business Services on 01604 316989 or 01604 316922, email jon@simply-workspace.co.uk or visit our website here.
