Commenting on the findings of the Centre For Cities' flagship Cities Outlook 2012 report, George Cowcher, Chief Executive of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "The figures quoted in this report about Derby having the highest percentage of workers in the UK with no qualifications are surprising, given that the city has a proliferation of global brands such as Rolls Royce, Bombardier, Toyota, Westfield and Citigroup and their respective supply chains supporting its economy. 
 
"The city does have a highly-skilled workforce, which was demonstrated last year by the fact that a number of major manufacturers from outside the area were actively looking to poach workers from Derby in the aftermath of the Bombardier and Egg announcements.

"This report paints a misleading picture rather than a holistic view. The city of Derby is tightly-bounded and its major employers suck in workers from its surrounding areas as well as the city itself and this is something which is perhaps not reflected in the cold, hard statistics for Derby city only."