T HTEH U E NUI N V IEVRESR IT S IYT O Y FO O F POPPOPROTR UTNUI N T IYT Y A UNIVERSITY THAT MEANS BUSINESS
SPRING 2018
KNOWLEDGE NEWS New Build Plans for Construction Campus New plans have been submitted by the University of Wolverhampton for its School of Architecture and the Built Environment at its brand new £100 million Springfield Campus development. The plans form the largest part of the first phase of the multi-million pound project, which is transforming the 12 acre historic site into an unrivalled centre of excellence for the built environment, construction and high value manufacturing. After pre-construction works highlighted structures of some original buildings were not viable, Associated Architects has worked with Historic England and council planners on a design for the new School. It centres around the original clock tower building and combines heritage elements with a striking large new build element. When completed, it will provide specialist teaching and learning space for nearly 1,100 existing students and 65 staff, with the number of students projected to grow over time to more than 1,500.
Professor to Lead City Business Group
The School will specialise in supporting skills for the sector, house a brownfield research centre and join the West Midlands University Technical College, which opened in January 2017, and the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS) Hub, which will open this year. Jackie Dunne, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “We think the new design is really exciting and will be a fantastic addition to the city. Springfield is a key strategic project for the University and we are committed to realising the vision of the site and the part this will play in regenerating Wolverhampton.” When agreement has been reached with planners, the scheme will go back out to tender to identify a construction partner. The ECMS is a unique learner space with a focus on improving the skills and knowledge base within the metalforming and casting industries. The Hub is supported by three spoke locations in the Midlands – Tipton, West Bromwich and Dudley.
The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor has been announced as the new chair of the Wolverhampton Business Champions.
For the latest news on Springfield Campus, visit: wlv.ac.uk/springfield
Professor Ian Oakes will take the lead of the group, which brings together some of the city’s most prominent employers including the University, Marston’s, UTC Aerospace Systems, Jaguar Land Rover, Moog and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. The role of Business Champions is to work with the city council, local politicians and other key stakeholders to help make Wolverhampton a better place to live, work, invest in and visit. Professor Oakes, who has been a longstanding member of the group, said: “There is a lot of optimism in Wolverhampton at the moment in terms of regeneration and investment. “A record number of graduates are going into work and further study from the University and we must continue to work with industry to ensure we are bridging the skills gap in key sectors and driving growth.”
NEW SCIENCE CENTRE WELCOMES FIRST TENANTS
APPRENTICESHIPS NEWS NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK ROUND-UP:
NEW APPRENTICESHIPS TAKE DEGREES TO THE NEXT LEVEL This year’s National Apprenticeship Week took place from 5 to 9 March 2018 – and the University took the chance to highlight the exciting new pathways available across different industries.
The new Chartered Legal Degree Apprenticeship was among the new specialist qualifications launched that is helping to widen the University’s support for local businesses looking to upskill their workforce. The practice-based programme has been developed in collaboration with sector-leading employers and the professional law body, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, to train future Chartered Legal Executives and Solicitors. Five students, three from Wombournebased property lawyers Connolley and Company and two from City of Wolverhampton Council, have enrolled on the course. The bar continues to be raised to a higher level of study with the announcement of two brand new validated, engineering-based Degree Apprenticeships.
The first three businesses have moved into the University’s brand new £10.1 million Science Centre.
including management, marketing, human resources, finance and more. In the same sphere of healthcare, the first cohort of Nursing Associate Foundation Degree Apprentices attended induction days at the University’s Walsall Campus during the week. More than 50 healthcare staff, from a variety of healthcare settings and NHS trusts within the West Midlands, will study on the new Degree Apprenticeship which aims to bridge the gap between healthcare support workers and registered nurses. The new routes complement the University’s existing offer, while future Higher/Degree Apprenticeships will include Digital Technologies, Civil Engineering, Policing, Social Work, Nursing and Paramedic Degree Apprenticeships.
The Manufacturing Engineer and Product and Development Engineer Degree Apprenticeships will be delivered by the School of Engineering at Telford Innovation Campus, with the next intake in September 2018.
DRONE PILOT COURSE OFF THE GROUND The University of Wolverhampton has signed a partnership contract to deliver drone pilot courses over the next two years.
Based at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park and completed late last year, the centre offers specialist space for science, technology and engineering businesses, catering for the aerospace, automotive, building technology and life science sectors.
The Remote Pilot Certificate SUAS (RPCS) course, which is Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved, leads to Permission for Commercial Operations status – providing commercial drone pilots with the skills and qualification to operate safely and legally in UK airspace.
The University welcomes Crestwood Environmental, Deeo Design and Engineering, and Vehicle Occupant Safety Centre (VOSC) as its first tenants.
The course has been delivered for the past year on an informal partnership basis with partner, RUSTA UAV Training Professionals.
Designed by Fairhursts Design Group and built by Clegg Construction, the building has been nominated in two categories in the region’s premier property and construction awards.
Members from City of Wolverhampton Council’s Schools Technology Support Centre have already benefited from training, as well as companies from the agriculture sector.
The two and a half day course includes a theoretical overview of air law, principles of flight and insights into meteorology as well as covering emergency procedures. The University currently has three different types of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV) suitable for both interior and exterior usage, complete with high definition cameras designed to capture video and still images. Marc Fleetham, Director of Business Solutions at the University, said: “Drone footage provides businesses with high quality aerial and ground based video and images to improve their business capability. Having access to CAA approved drone pilot training on their doorstep is an added bonus.” The course is delivered at the University’s Science Park in Wolverhampton and its Business Solutions Centres in both Telford and Hereford. For more information, contact: info@businesssolutionscentres.co.uk or visit: businesssolutionscentres.co.uk/drones
It has been recognised in the Design by Innovation and Regeneration categories in the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors Awards 2018. Nigel Babb, University of Wolverhampton Science Park Director, said: “The finished product looks fantastic and now we have our first tenants moved in, the building has come to life. “The centre offers unrivalled specialist space to scientificbased businesses wanting to develop and enhance their research and development activities and further companies are due to move in very soon.” In addition to the new centre, further investment has taken place across the science park to enhance the facilities and landscaping. For more information on the new Centre, visit: sciencetechcentre.co.uk, email: joinus@sciencetechcentre.co.uk or tel: 01902 824 000
Meanwhile, eleven staff from the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust have signed up to study for a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship with the University of Wolverhampton Business School. The Apprentices, currently working at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, will work in a variety of departments during the three year part-time course which covers aspects of business
£1/2M FUNDING LEVIES INTEREST IN DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS The University has secured £460,000 funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to deliver training for Degree Apprenticeships to non-levy paying companies.
The additional funding follows £250,000 awarded by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) in 2017 for the University to develop its offer – over 150 apprentices are now studying for Higher and Degree level qualifications at the University.
This is fantastic news and will really help us to build on the work that has already gone into developing our industry-standard Degree Apprenticeships. Companies with a wage bill of under £3 million are eligible for 90% funding for Degree Apprenticeships and this additional money will allow us to increase our
offer and support more and more businesses looking for Higher and Degree level Apprenticeships for their employees. Other incentives will mean that, for SMEs with fewer than 50 employees and who recruit a 16-18 year old, the training/ course element of the Apprenticeship will be fully funded. Michele Roberts Head of the Apprenticeship Hub
To find out more, contact the Apprenticeship Hub – tel: 01902 323 127 email: apprenticeshiphub@wlv.ac.uk or visit: wlv.ac.uk/apprenticeships
NEVER MISS A TENDER OPPORTUNITY AGAIN Follow University of Wolverhampton Procurement Team on Twitter for all the latest news: @WLVProcurement Find out more at: wlv.ac.uk/procurement or access the eTendering Portal at: wlv.bravosolution.co.uk
SIGN UP FOR SMART CONCEPT FUND
INSTALLATION OF WIND TUNNEL ENGINEERED
Is your business an SME or spin out in the Black Country, Marches or Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire? Do you have a new product to fill a gap in the market but need proof of concept support?
The installation of a new wind tunnel is underway at the University to support the specialist aerospace, automotive and motorsport courses being run at Telford Innovation Campus.
The Smart Concept Fund is here to help. Grants of up to £30,000 are available to help your business turn an innovative idea into a successful reality. To express your interest, email: smartconceptfund@wlv.ac.uk
The tunnel will be housed in a dedicated room at the Campus, which has benefited from £10 million investment into engineering facilities and equipment. The tunnel will run up to 40 m/s wind speed, has an operating jet that is 750mm square and will be powered by a 75 KW fan that runs at 1500 rev/min and displaces a volume of 30 cubic metres of air per second. The data generated will measure air flow and determine boundary layer conditions for the models used, which will be built in-house using the Engineering School’s state-of-the-art ALM stereolithography machine.
EVENTS
FUTURE OF CYBERSECURITY COURSES SECURED Funding worth £192,000 has been secured to develop cybersecurity courses at the University. The money has been awarded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) as part of its £6 million Catalyst Fund programme to co-develop and codesign courses in conjunction with local and national employers. Working with employers and key partners, the West Midlands Cybercrime Unit and
Satisnet, who provide cloud-based training, the project will help to provide the cyber skills needed in the future economy and support the aims of the Industrial Strategy’s ‘Grand Challenges’. A key aim is the development of a Master’s Degree in Cybercrime, combining technical and management skills which will be offered as a weekend learning course. The University has been working on cyber security initiatives for the past 10 years
BLACK COUNTRY BUSINESS FESTIVAL and has invested £500,000 through its Research Investment Fund to set up the Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute. Professor Amar Aggoun, Head of the School of Mathematics and Computer Science, said: “The growth of the UK’s digital economy depends on its ability to make sure it’s secure when it comes to cyber threats. The new course will be designed to appeal to anyone with working experience in the area from entrance level up to established consultants and practitioners.”
ARE YOU ON TRACK FOR HS2? The West Midlands Manufacturing club present ‘Get On Track’: a rail tender supplier readiness programme of workshops designed to help your business capitalise on the bid and tender opportunities from HS2 and other public procurement.
June 13 / 14 / 20 • July 6 / 12 / 16 • October 17/ 18/ 24 Wolverhampton Business Solutions Centre, University of Wolverhampton Science Park, Glaisher Drive, WV10 9RT Cost: £2,400 + VAT per company (includes two places) Book before 30 April to take advantage of a 15% early booking discount! To express an interest and find out more, please email: wmmc@businesssolutionscentres.co.uk or visit: westmidlandsmanufacturing.club
EnTRESS EVENT SHOWCASES WASTE SOLUTIONS As part of its ongoing mission to provide business support on environmental technologies and resource efficiency to Black Country SMEs, EnTRESS recently held its first Technology Showcase. ‘Right Waste Right Place’ attracted over 60 delegates including speakers and exhibitors from business, academia, and national and local government with duty of care around commercial waste among the topics covered. Matt Mellors, EnTRESS Project Manager, said: “This popular event showcased the opportunities and challenges within the waste management sector, and how business and the public sector are working to deliver the required solutions both in the Black Country and nationally.” Among the companies already receiving EnTRESS business support are Reconomy, Environmental Resource Group, Dunton Environmental, Quick Consign and Auction My Waste, each of which had a presence at the event. EnTRESS is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
TTH Y YO O F FO P HEE UUNNI IVVEERRS SI T IT O PP O PR OTRUTNUINT IYT Y
The University is happy to be a supporter of the first ever Black Country Business Festival, the region’s largest business event. Running over two weeks, from 23 April to 4 May 2018, the festival offers a packed programme of inspiring business events taking place across the region. The two-week festival will put the Black Country on a national stage as a great place to live, work, do business and, above all, invest in. For more information, visit: blackcountrybusinessfestival.com See below for details of the University’s own Black Country Business Festival events.
SKILLS AND TRAINING SHOWCASE Wednesday 25 April 2018 12pm-3pm University of Wolverhampton Business School Lord Swraj Paul Building WV1 1SG What are your options for developing your workforce? From postgraduate study to Degree and Higher Apprenticeships, discover how the University can help you to upskill your staff or further your own professional skills. Find out more about opportunities for training and apprenticeships provided by the Apprenticeship Hub and the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills, plus continued professional development and executive education provided by the Business School and support from the West Midlands Manufacturing Club. Book your place now visit: https://bcbf.ticketleap.com and search for skills
ARE YOU READY FOR GDPR? Tuesday 24 April 2018 8.30am - 13.30pm Sandwell Business Solutions Centre GDPR comes into effect on 25th May 2018. This event will help to prepare Black Country businesses in the final run up to ensure that they have a better understanding of the necessary steps to take to become fully compliant.
If you no longer wish to recieve Knowledge News publications please email us with your name, company name and postcode and we will remove you from the mailing list. Email: wlvknowledge@wlv.ac.uk
KNOWLEDGE NEWS TEL: 01902 321 272 EMAIL: info@businesssolutionscentres.co.uk VISIT: wlv.ac.uk/knowledge
ER726