The Leader of Worcestershire County Council has praised the University of Worcester after a tour of some of its key facilities and recent developments.
Cllr Matt Jenkins visited sites across the University, including The Hive, the School of Law, the Art House, and the University’s brand-new simulation suites used to train future healthcare professionals.
Accompanied by University Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, David Green CBE DL, Cllr Jenkins saw first-hand how the University has transformed a number of historic city-centre buildings into modern teaching and learning spaces.
“I know the University well,” said Cllr Jenkins, “but there’s so much that I learned on this visit. It has been great to see the former Worcester News building - now used by the medical school; and the former hospital site - now the University’s City Campus - and see what they are like today compared to previously.”
Cllr Jenkins said he was particularly impressed by the way the University had repurposed former buildings while placing a strong emphasis on sustainability and creating high-quality environments for students and staff.
“The University has done a brilliant job of transforming these buildings, and from an environmental perspective there has clearly been a strong emphasis on making them as sustainable as possible, which not only saves money in the long run, but it makes them nice, well-designed spaces to work and study in,” he added.
During the tour, Cllr Jenkins and Professor David Green visited The Hive, the landmark library jointly operated by the University and Worcestershire County Council. The facility was highlighted as one of the most successful examples of collaboration between the two organisations.
“The Hive brought such amazing change to the city and is just such a great example of how we at the County Council work with the University,” said Cllr Jenkins. “There’s a lot of opportunities for us to work together even more in the future.”
The visit provided an opportunity to reflect on the existing partnership between the University and Worcestershire County Council and explore areas where collaboration could continue to develop.
He added: “The University has many resources we don’t have at the County Council, and there’s lots of learning we can gain from them, for instance, the council work a lot in adult care and children’s services, and these are areas where the University has a lot of knowledge, so there are partnerships we could build on to support our staff at the council.”
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk
