New medical school planned for Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton, working in partnership with the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, has announced ambitious plans for a new medical school in the Black Country.
Given the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to double the availability of medical school places to 15,000 per annum by 2031/32, and the focus on establishing new medical schools to deliver this plan, there is a demonstrable need for medical education provision in the Midlands.
Professor Ebrahim Adia, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The university is an important provider of key workers including nurses, midwives, paramedics and social workers for the Black Country. The addition of medical education is a natural extension of our commitment to supporting the workforce needs of the NHS.”
Mark Axcell, Chief Executive of the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “I am committed to strengthening the partnership between NHS Black Country and the university. This important step will deepen that partnership, allowing us to not only enhance health and wellbeing across communities but to directly build a future local NHS medical workforce.”
Dr Jonathan Odum, Group Chief Medical Officer of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, added: “The University of Wolverhampton looking to open a medical school is a great opportunity for both the university and the local population of the Black Country. This development provides opportunities for local students and applicants who are looking to pursue a career in medicine, staying local to where they live, building and supporting the local area.”
The partners are in the process of setting up a Black Country Medical School Steering Group comprising membership from the university, the ICB and the Hospital Trust. The group will develop a strategic business case to submit to the university’s Board of Governors for consideration and decision.
WLV Business Link officially launched
On Thursday 26 September, the Wolverhampton Business Link Network officially launched, bringing together over 180 delegates from across the region.
The university recognises its key role in the social and economic prosperity of the region and as a major resource for the region’s business community. Working with various organisations across a wide variety of sectors, WLV Business Link will allow organisations to connect with each other to access resources and expertise.
The event at University of Wolverhampton Science Park provided more information on the vision and goals of the WLV Business Link Network and
featured engaging talks from industry leaders on current trends and future outlooks.
Interactive sessions provided lively discussion and helpful Q&A, culminating in a networking lunch that allowed attendees to connect with each other and find out more about university funding support.
The strong turnout highlights the city’s thriving business community and its commitment to growth, collaboration, and innovation.
Find out how WLV Business Link can help your business through:
expert advice and consulting
development of workforce skills
incubation and tenant space
specialist advice and support
University achieves national recognition for Knowledge Exchange Framework
The University of Wolverhampton has maintained its position as one of the top institutions nationally for local growth and regeneration, working with business and the public and third sector, and engaging with the public and community, according to new data.
Research England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF4) looks at the ways universities help to level up their local areas. The university scored very high for local growth and regeneration, public and community
engagement, working with business (which is an improvement on last year), and working with the public sector and third sector – placing it at the forefront of the sector and outperforming others in their cluster.
Wolverhampton also scored “medium” in research partnerships, CPD, and graduate start-ups, meaning that all scores are either “medium” or above, maintaining its performance since last year’s results.
Professor Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “We
University rises through the ranks, with some courses in the Top Ten
The University of Wolverhampton has risen through the ranks by moving up 16 places in this year’s Guardian University Guide – with some taught courses now in the Top Ten!
Specific courses have excelled in their teaching, with the university ranking at 5th in the UK for mental health nursing, 6th for business and management, and 9th for education.
Close behind, fine art was ranked 16th, children’s nursing 21st, midwifery 24th, and paramedic science 28th.
The Guardian University Guide rankings are based on a variety of factors, including student satisfaction, teaching quality, and employment prospects. The university has shown a strong performance across some of these metrics with 86% of final year students satisfied with their
teaching (National Student Survey) and 82% satisfied with feedback and assessment, a significant increase on 2024.
Professor Gill Knight, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic Leadership and Student Experience, said: “This is a really positive move upwards this year for the university and testimony to the dedication and commitment of staff – particularly in those key areas of teaching across a range of subjects.
“This shows that the university is moving in the right direction for its teaching and learning with us now ranked overall 85th, moving up 16 places from 101.”
The good news comes days after the Daily Mail Good University Guide ranked the University of Wolverhampton first in the UK for supporting students who are the first in their family to go to university for the second year running.
priorities are dictated by our place and communities and delivered through purposeful collaborative engagement.”
The University of Wolverhampton’s KEF submission also included examples of key regeneration projects, including:
our state-of-the-art Screen School
the Marches Centre for Excellence for Health and Social Care
the establishment of a National Brownfield Institute
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, added: “We work in partnership at all levels, a collaborative ethos and approach that enables us to make the most meaningful and significant contribution in supporting our students and communities.”
University of Wolverhampton hosts three-day Beyond Futures Festival
of Research and Innovation
The University of Wolverhampton hosted its Beyond Futures - Festival of Research and Innovation in July. The exciting three-day event showcased the exceptional research, knowledge exchange and public engagement conducted across all faculties and the wider University highlighting our commitment to innovation, creativity, academic excellence and public and community engagement.
The Festival of Research and Innovation is designed to celebrate the diverse and ground breaking work being done by our talented researchers and academics. It will feature a dynamic programme of activities, including keynote speeches, interactive workshops, panel discussions, and poster presentations. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with researchers, learn about cutting-edge developments in various fields, and explore the impact of the University’s research on society and industry.
Professor Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “The Festival of Research and Innovation is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the breadth and depth of the research and knowledge exchange being undertaken at the University. Our researchers are making significant contributions to their respective fields both locally and across the world and this festival allows us to share their achievements with a wider audience.”
CONVeRSATIONS2
In 2001, two academics started a visual communication project we called “Conversations” that spanned three years, creating a portfolio of over 300 photographic images.
Our conversations, mutual love of colour and composition, and seeing a beauty in the everyday, resulted in growth, wellbeing, and exhibitions in the southwest of England. 20 years later, we have reconnected and relaunched the project.
With the concept of “sustainable societies” at the forefront of our minds, the project addresses the lack of authenticity in the overwhelming world of imagery, by converging people and communities in different ways of creative thinking and collaboration.
In the last two years we have invited contributors into the project, printing, posting and sharing our creative process with both people we know and those we don’t. The group contribution has brought new ways of seeing, and different ways of failing and inspiring connectivity. In a small but significant way, the project allows us to live well and thoughtfully.
With a large, growing body of imagery from a variety of contributors we seek to create symbiotic participation and engagement to capture the wider spectrum of wellbeing. This creative belonging represents diversity and difference in the common experience.
From March 2025 for 3 months, we will exhibit this body of work at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton with the Somerset Foundation Trust. We will engage guests and unit users in creatively seeking out the beauty in the everyday, extending the exhibition into a collaborative body of work.
Lindsey Chambers & Imelda Hughes
Finances agreed for city’s “green corridor”
A project that will create more than 700 jobs by supporting new green industries in Wolverhampton has taken a step closer to its goa, following the approval of funding by councillors.
The Green Innovation Corridor (GIC) is a collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton that has received £20 million from the former government’s Levelling Up Fund. A further £7 million is likely to be made available through the West Midlands Investment Zone (WMIZ) which aims to create more than 30,000 new jobs and attract £5.5 billion in investment.
It would cover the university’s Springfield Campus and Science Park, part of the city centre and i54
Business Park, and connect research, innovation and industry to encourage new entrepreneurs, start-ups, products and services, council papers said. The provisional £7 million would go towards projects on the science park and create up to 17,000sqm of research and development as well as commercial space and 750 jobs, the documentation stated.
Council leader Stephen Simkins said the decision meant that the decision meant the grant funding could be spent as soon as possible “to make it a reality” and “unlock opportunities in the green revolution that we are at the beginning of.”
Strategic Leadership and Management Training short course
Offered in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), University of Wolverhampton Business School is delighted to offer this fully-funded course aimed at healthcare and engineering professionals from small and medium-sized enterprises.
Combining interactive on-campus workshops, online learning, and practical on-the-job tasks, modules on this five-month long course include:
Foundations of Strategic Leadership
Leadership and Crisis Management
Innovative Business Models for Sustainability
Knowledge Leadership- Optimization in Service Sectors
Digital Transformation Leadership
Inclusive Leadership
Cohort start dates are available in November 2024, April and September 2025, and February 2026.
Email execed@wlv.ac.uk for any further information.
Designed to help you fulfil your potential and provide impact within your organisation, you will benefit from practical learning with tangible applications, expert knowledge in cross-industry leadership and management, and have the opportunity to shape your future and develop alongside your peers. Fully-funded places available!
Participants must be based in the WMCA. Up to three people per organisation are eligible to sign up.
Online magazine celebrates graduate high achievers
The newest issue of WLV Life Magazine, a free annual publication from the University of Wolverhampton, is the perfect read if you are looking to study a degree course with us.
Featuring interviews and articles covering the incredible achievements of some of our most successful graduates, you can discover how studying with us can be life-changing.
In this edition, you’ll read about a Norwegian cinematographer and Guinness world record holder who
has worked with David Attenborough and NASA; a Ukrainian advising his nation’s Minister of Defence in the war against Russia; a passionate Wolves fan raising thousands of pounds for charity; a leading Sky Sports golf commentator; plus, many more fascinating stories.
Every year, WLV Life Magazine showcases the university’s exceptional alumni and shows the incredible things they are doing in the worlds of literature, business, sport, film, and the arts. Visit wlvlifemagazine.co.uk to find out more.
Maria wins apprenticeship leadership award
A mum of four with “exceptional dedication” for learning is thrilled to have won a university award for leadership after starting her Master’s degree apprenticeship in Wolverhampton in her 50s.
Maria Glover, Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse Manager at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), won the Apprentice Awards 2024: Embracing Inclusion and Diversity
UN Assistant Secretary-General
joins us to celebrate 50 years of research
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the University of Wolverhampton’s Centre for International Development and Training (CIDT), a public event was held in July featuring a United Nations guest speaker.
The CIDT sits within the university and supports international development agencies and other diverse stakeholders through vital projects and programmes, offering practical solutions to complex global issues.
Nikhil Seth, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, provided the keynote address at the celebratory event.
Professor Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the university, said: “The fact that we have such a high-profile guest speaker visiting us from the United Nations shows the impact that our research has made on the international arena over the past 50 years. Our reach in this area has covered multiple global challenges and we have worked with a range of agencies, offering research-informed solutions, consultancy, training and professional development.”
– Leading on Innovation in their Organisation award from the University of Wolverhampton.
Following a 15-year break from the classroom, the 54-year-old is studying for her Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership. Maria will achieve this qualification when she sits her end-point assessment.