At the heart of the Gloucestershire business and the community - Hartpury University and Hartpury College
Hartpury University and Hartpury College is a specialist education provider located in the heart of Gloucestershire, with almost 4,500 college and university level students studying PhDs, postgraduate and undergraduate degrees, and diplomas in the areas of sport, equine, animal, agriculture, veterinary nursing and A-levels.
Since gaining university status in 2018, the institution has been recognised with an array of accolades, named 1st in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality by the WhatUni Student Choice Awards, ranked 1st in the UK for Student Satisfaction in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, and even named by the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF 2022) as the leading STEM university for ‘Local Growth and Regeneration’.
Director of Business Development Stuart Emmerson joined Hartpury in 2019. In just over three years, he’s transformed business development partnerships with the institution and boosted wider engagement with local business. His work has also helped bolster positive partnerships with local government and the wider community.
Stuart led Hartpury’s bid to secure the Levelling Up Fund for the area through a team effort between Hartpury University, the Forest of Dean District Council, Cinderford Town Council and Mark Harper MP.
This month Stuart tells Business and Innovation Magazine of the many exciting developments at Hartpury and highlights the numerous opportunities for business in the region....
| There’s nowhere quite like this to do business.
The start of the new academic year saw the completion of one of our largest construction projects to date, as Graze officially opened its doors to students. Graze is a two-storey 2,347 sqm learning, social and catering space that offers a wider variety of food choices, modern social and breakout space, and flexible teaching rooms.
The finish on this building is spectacular and the modern, flexible spaces have partition walls that create a dynamic learning and conference experience ideal for industry events or training workshops. I’d urge businesses in the locality to come and visit us on site to have a look around – our door is always open.
Our proximity to Gloucester, Cheltenham, the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley makes us a convenient location for many businesses and we’re lucky to be situated within 360 hectares of spectacular countryside. Whether engaging with our research department or hiring our facilities for a conference it’s a dynamic and stunning setting which post covid provides the perfect environment for business owners and their teams. Good for business and good for the soul – what more can you ask for?
One of Hartpury’s strengths it that we continuously invest in our facilities and staff to ensure world-class environment for our students and partners.We recently welcomed partners from the Forest of Dean District council, local MP Mark Harper, and master planners Vitruvius to Hartpury, for the ground breaking ceremony at our new University
Learning Hub.This £12.75m hub has been part-funded by the Levelling Up Fund and once completed, will be at the heart of an immersive higher education experience.
| New academic year marks an exciting chapter for Hartpury
The start of every academic year brings an opportunity for a fresh start and a renewed sense of optimism. This was especially the case in September, as Professor Andy Collop took up the role of Vice-Chancellor, Principal and CEO at Hartpury following the retirement of Russell Marchant. Andy was previously at De Montfort University (DMU) where he held roles including Deputy and interim Vice-Chancellor. Like me, he is passionate about building partnerships and determined to strengthen our ties with local business. I’ve been really heartened by the way he’s hit the ground running and has already engaged with an array of key stakeholders across the county.
| A hub for innovation, research and knowledge exchange
It’s a fascinating time right now for the land-based industries we service and we’re investigating, sharing knowledge, and providing insight into our three key research centres which focus on animal and agriculture; equestrian performance; and sport and exercise. Our research and knowledge exchange directly informs taught programmes and real-world practice.
In May, research carried out by Hartpury University, submitted as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 process, was recognised as ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’. Recognition by REF is a real accolade, as it’s undertaken by an expert review panel on behalf of Government and plays an important role in decisions made by funding councils for higher education. It makes me very proud to be representing such a knowledgeable and credible team when I meet with business.
| A hub for collaboration
Our collaboration starts with business and industry to ensure every aspect of our curriculum is written to ultimately meet the needs of employers. We’re also actively connecting students with business to form mutually beneficial partnerships that so often last way beyond their years at Hartpury.
A good example of this is through our Hartpury Sports Business Hub (HSBH) which has already been a huge success. Led by my colleague Thomas Legge, the HSBH provides students and staff the opportunity to engage with key local and regional sports organisations to carry out live briefs and real-world research consultancy.
Businesses benefit from having access to a postgraduate student for research, evaluation, and consultancy purposes.This ultimately boosts resources, provides valuable insights and intelligence, and saves money. Recent examples have included a master’s student appointed by Hockey Wales to carry out a diversity consultation project and another where a student is helping with the planning and project management for an eco-clubhouse at a sports ground at Bream Rugby Club in the Forest of Dean.
At the further education (FE) level, Hartpury recently teamed up with other colleges to collectively secure just over £2.6million to tackle the skills gap in our region.This was awarded to the Gloucestershire Federation of Colleges (consisting of Hartpury, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, Gloucestershire College and Cirencester College) as part of the government’s “Skills Accelerator” programme.
Hartpury will use the funding to create a new Digital Studio - a dedicated student- employee-industry facing space where future technologies in agriculture will be explored using simulation.
| Digital innovation, down on the farm
Our Agri-Tech Centre is part of the Digital Innovation Farm, also home to a £2 million Tech Box Park that launched this July. It marks the next phase of our ten-year strategic vision to provide world-class agricultural facilities, education, and research.
The project has received funding from European Regional Development Fund, the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust and G First LEP, Getting Building Fund to create innovation and demonstration workspace for high growth SMEs in Gloucestershire. The park has already attracted business members including YAGRO Analytics, Novazera and AJW Solutions UK, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know them and their clients.
| Sport and business, a winning team
Off the back of a successful launch last year, we reintroduced our Kick Start Campaign that offers businesses a chance to sponsor one of the sporting academies including rugby, football, netball, golf, modern pentathlon, rowing, athlete performance and equestrian.
Our sports department has earned a reputation for producing highly successful athletes that have gone on to represent their country in multiple disciplines.
While our rugby academy is perhaps the best known, Hartpury does in fact have 10 outstanding sports academies.
This is a great opportunity for businesses to evidence their corporate social responsibility (CSR) opportunity by supporting the next generation of talent. It can also benefit businesses in terms of their bottom-line providing networks, sales opportunities and profile.
To find our more about Hartpury College get in touch with Stuart Emmerson, Director of Business Development on 01452 702796 or email [email protected]
hartpury.ac.uk
