University chiefs welcome almost £6m boost for Walsall campus
University chiefs have welcomed a cash boost of almost £6 million which will be used to improve sport and healthcare facilities for students in the Black Country.
The University of Wolverhampton secured the £5.8m from the Office for Students (OfS) which is awarding £432m nationally to improve universities and colleges.
And this slice of funding will be used to improve facilities at the university's Walsall campus with the aim of creating an "unmatched" experience for students there.
Existing facilities will be refurbished and updated to create a range of "modern, multidisciplinary facilities" in the School of Allied Health and Midwifery and the School of Sport.
Students studying for a variety of undergraduate and Master’s degrees at the Walsall campus, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry as well as exercise science, football coaching and performance and strength and conditioning, will benefit from the investment.
Professor Damien Page, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, said: “Demand for our degree courses is high but our current facilities limit student numbers which is why securing this incredible amount of funding is an amazing achievement for the faculty.
“These refurbishments will enable us to increase student numbers on existing courses and expand our provision to Dietetics and Clinical Exercise Physiology, with the intention of enrolling many more students across these courses in the coming years.
“The advanced equipment, learning spaces and facilities will provide an unmatched experience for our students, inspiring, challenging, connecting and engendering a passion for learning to boost their employability, grow student numbers to better meet demand and address the skills needs of our local communities.
“In response to regional demand, this project will allow us to create a space that will enable us to not only increase the number of specialists trained to support the employer demand in the local areas, but to ensure our courses are industry relevant and enhance the employability and skills of our students.”
The refurbishment project, due to start early in 2023, will overhaul existing facilities in the university’s Jerome K Jerome, William Penny Brookes and Sister Dora buildings at Walsall Campus creating a revitalised performance gym and a suite of learning spaces and facilities. It is due to be completed by December 2024.
Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS, said: “Investing in modern buildings and innovative equipment will help universities and colleges in England prepare students for their future careers. Modern laboratories and state of the art technology mean students learn with the best facilities. Our investment will also increase the provision of short courses that offer flexibility to boost the skills of the workforce.
“Competition for funding was strong, with high quality applications from across the sector. The OfS-funded capital projects will ensure current and future students have a positive experience while studying expensive-to-deliver subjects that are strategically important to society. Taxpayers will feel these benefits too, as our investment will boost local and regional economies and support environmental sustainability.”
In June 2019, the university made a commitment to a 10-year partnership with Sandwell Council and Sandwell Leisure Trust for the provision of swimming facilities for students including the use of a state-of-the-art Olympic swimming pool and diving facilities.
