Simon Flenley-Pond, Assistant Director of Apprenticeships, explains how apprenticeships develop real-world skills to apply into the workplace and why higher and degree apprenticeships are so important for the employer, university, and apprentice.
To choose UWE Bristol as an employer means that your apprentices are going to gain from high quality teaching and learning from staff who have often got industry experience and have worked in the kind of roles that they’re delivering to the apprentices.
We also work closely with employers through the design process, so when we are designing or redesigning apprenticeships, we often work with employers to make sure that the curriculum that we’re offering is right for the role that apprentices are in, or going to be in.
And what we also do is partner with employers throughout the program. So, we take your feedback, we look at that as part of our program redesign, and we’re always looking to support your voice within our continuous improvement plans for any of our programs.
The university are really invested in apprenticeships. It speaks to our core offer around vocational learning and training. We also know that our apprenticeships are working. We’ve delivered to over 2,500 apprentices since we’ve become an apprenticeship training provider. We’re now delivering across 25 apprenticeship standards across health, science, protective services, engineering, construction, and management.
With that, we’re also delivering to over 300 employers and on a national basis. So, we know that our provision is reaching corners of the country where there perhaps isn’t provision available. We also know that apprentices and employers are benefiting from this, allowing them access to higher education that they may not have been able to get elsewhere.
The apprenticeship offer at UWE Bristol is flexible and programs are often delivered in a hybrid model. So, apprentices have the flexibility to learn online when they are perhaps local, or perhaps when they have work commitments. That is balanced out with time at the university, which is really beneficial not just to the apprentice, but also to the employer. So, for instance, apprentices will have access to lab space, which gives them the real-world skills to be able to take back into the workplace and enhance their career development. Also allowing their productivity in the workplace to be much more efficient.
What we also find with our hybrid offer is that we are reaching a broader range of employers and apprentices across the country as well.
*Date change* Due to unforeseen circumstances this event has been postponed to March 20 6pm – 8pm.
Kathryn Bishop and Gillian Camm, finalists for the 2024 Business Book Awards, are bringing their ground-breaking book to life at UWE Bristol in a bespoke workshop Board Talk: Insights in Action. With a combined 60 years of board-level experience across multiple sectors, these experts are set to demystify the art of boardroom leadership.
Date: 23/01/25 20/03/25
Time: 6pm-8pm
Location: Bristol Business School, UWE Bristol Frenchay campus
The interactive workshop isn’t just for seasoned board members. Whether you’re dreaming of a board position or currently navigating organizational leadership, this event offers invaluable insights utilising their book ‘Board Talk: 18 crucial conversations that count inside and outside the boardroom’ Participants will explore crucial conversations that can make or break board effectiveness, learning strategies to build trust, overcome communication barriers, and drive strategic success.
Hosted by UWE Bristol and featuring a welcome from Vice-Chancellor Sir Steve West, the evening promises networking, learning, and inspiration. With parking, refreshments, and a book discount included, it’s an opportunity no aspiring leader should miss.
Mark your calendar and register soon – seats are limited, and this is one leadership lesson you won’t want to miss.
On Wednesday 27th November, our Help to Grow: Management Team at UWE joined forces with the team at the University of Bath School of Management to host a collaborative alumni event at The Apex Hotel in Bath.
Having been funded by the Government and delivered by Business Schools across the country for four years now, the Help to Grow: Management course has provided thousands of business leaders with the opportunity to step back from their business for a few hours each week over twelve weeks, and meet likeminded business leaders in localised regions.
Bringing together Help to Grow alumni from both UWE and Bath cohorts (some of whom completed the course four years ago, and some who only recently completed the course) was such a wonderful opportunity and it was fantastic for our Project and Delivery teams to reconnect and catch-up with alumni from both schools.
The focus of the afternoon was Leadership Wellbeing and Psychological Safety. We heard from two brilliant speakers – Fiona Spillane and Charlie Unwin, both esteemed module leaders on the Help to Grow programme. Fiona delivered a though-provoking workshop on handling courageous conversations in the workplace, followed by Charlie who engaged the room with his experiences as a Performance Coach, exploring ways of achieving Psychological Safety with teams in the workplace and beyond.
Overall, it was a lovely day and a brilliant opportunity to bring everyone together ahead of Christmas, to celebrate successes since completing the course and to dive deeper into the really important topic of wellbeing in the workplace. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the team at the University of Bath, and look forward to our future collaborations.
The School of Education and Childhood (SEAC) at UWE Bristol have recently launched a new Professional Development programme – Teaching and Training Fundamentals, aimed at teachers, trainers and educators across Higher Education (HE), Further Education (FE), commercial business and the public sector.
Designed with busy professionals in mind, the Teaching and Training Fundamentals programme is delivered online, combining anytime accessible online course material with the opportunity to meet and discuss concepts, ideas and experiences with experienced course tutors in designated live sessions.
The programme intends to develop participants’ foundational knowledge and skills in teaching and training, providing evidence-based approaches and frameworks that can be used to enhance teaching and training practice across a variety of contexts.
Programme Leader, Spencer Frost, developed the programme following a successful project working with a Bristol-based systems engineering company, where the UWE Bristol team were tasked with providing a solution for enhancing the company’s in-house training provision.
From this, a blended programme was created and successfully delivered combining online material and on-site group sessions:
“The training for ‘teaching and learning fundamentals’ delivered by UWE was considered a success internally, as all delegates in attendance found the sessions informative and applicable to the internal training we have in place. Multiple methods of improvement have been considered since the conception of this training program and we are looking to implement them.”
Dan Allen, Synoptix
The team are now looking to offer this provision to a wide range of individuals and business who might benefit from the programme to upskill their training personnel – to enhance in-house training provision, and improve employee performance, output, satisfaction and retention.
To provide flexibility and meet the needs of individuals who wish to engage with the programme as well as organisations, there are two alternative delivery modes:
Online blended programme – aimed at individuals or small groups from an organisation.
Bespoke delivered programme – designed for organisations that require several staff to engage with the programme and potentially apply the principles to specific aspects of their business.
For more information, view the Teaching and Training Fundamentals programme page using the link below, or contact the Programme Leader, Spencer Frost: spencer.frost@uwe.ac.uk.
What is the value of public engagement in research? Who should be engaged, for what purpose, when, and how?
How might we go about incorporating public engagement into our research project? How might we evaluate the impact of all those participating, staff included?
If you have been asking yourself these questions or know you will soon have to think about them, then this workshop is for you! Join public engagement specialist Sophie Laggan and special guests for a workshop to deep dive into the world of public engagement.
The theory and the practice of public engagement, from learning theories to social psychology, social media to community empowerment, and when these apply, under which contexts
Role playing to improve our communications with people who have differing worldviews than our own
Inspiring case studies from across the university
Collective problem solving to address hot topics in public engagement (e.g., ethics, inclusion, power)
Impact evaluation, including how to evaluate large-scale projects
Leave with the tools you need to think systematically about how to include public engagement in your (next) research project.
If you are interested, please fill out the form below. We are keen to evaluate this training so please help us by answering all the questions if you feel comfortable to do so. All answers will be anonymised and used to shape this and future offerings. Findings may also be shared in blogs, reports and publications.
Our early-stage incubator, Launch Space, is turning seven. Launch Space has worked with hundreds of early-stage tech founders to help make their businesses successful. Launch Space was created in July 2017, building upon the success of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory Hardware Incubator.
Launch Space works with a range of people, from recent graduates and first-time founders, to experienced entrepreneurs and businesses exploring new technologies.
Mark Corderoy (Entrepreneur in Residence and Incubation Manager):
“At UWE Bristol, we don’t just incubate startups; we try to nurture long-term partnerships. Our sustained support for companies like Altered Carbon creates a win-win scenario, driving innovation while providing invaluable real-world experiences for our students and researchers.”
In this blog post we look over some of Launch Space successes over the past seven years and meet some of the current businesses based at Launch Space:
In the past seven years, Launch Space has supported 202 start-ups and those start-ups raised over £122m in investment combined.
Stephanie (Enterprise & Innovation Manager):
“Turning 7 is a big deal, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the incredible journey of Launch Space! Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with some very talented founders, from fresh graduates to seasoned pros, all bringing big ideas to life.
The diversity and ambition of the start-ups we’ve nurtured are a testament to the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit at UWE Bristol. We look forward to continuing to empower the next generation of tech founders and we can’t wait to see what the next seven years have in store”
60% of the startups supported by Launch Space have been led by UWE graduates, 30% of the start-ups have had female founders and 32% have founders from the Global Majority.
Launch Space Alumni:
£17.5m raised
Tumelo is global fintech that’s changing the landscape of stewardship and investor voting.
They’re winning awards for innovative technology and amazing people, and attracting investment from major names in the industry.
£1.8m raised
Bunk helps property managers to convert more leads, increase rent collection and prove ROI with their all-in-one property management software.
Current residents:
Supersmith:
Supersmith Limited joined Launch Space just as the Hardware Incubator opened after refurbishment back in April 2023. As a business developing a hardware product, this timing and the space provided couldn’t have been better. Our product is a revolutionary type of mobility scooter with active suspension for those with walking difficulty – for those already on the Frenchay campus you may have seen us out and about.
“When we joined Launch Space, we were developing our early prototypes as a team of one full time person – and we’d received funding via a friends and family round. Since then, we’ve carried out numerous test days, connected with a wide range of individuals and networks and received funding from 4 different grants. Our team now comprises many more too!
Launch space has been instrumental in our development. Providing us with our fit for purpose accommodation, but also 1-2-1 coaching on our business plans and grant applications (thank you particularly to Mark and Amy!). In addition, we’ve hugely benefited from being on the UWE campus site for vehicle testing and having access to Launch Space workshop sessions and connecting with the wider Launch Space networks. Our MVP (Minimum Viable Product) components include those sourced from other Launch Space and Future Space businesses such as Benedex and The Centre for Print Research.
Now we have a minimum viable product, we can use this to demonstrate market interest and we’re hopeful about producing our first batch of mobility scooters next year!”
Emily Morgan, Co-Founder and COO
Bizumi:
“Bizumi is developing “Cero3”, a sustainable planning tool to complement corporate travel management platforms funded by Innovate UK.
Existing trip planning involves up to 27 hours researching suitable modes of transport and destinations for meetings or events. Without dedicated software, multiple, disconnected tools and websites are used but, due to time constraints, identifying low carbon choices is often sacrificed.
By adopting a portfolio-based approach Cero3 optimises all travel activities across an organisation by balancing costs, carbon emissions, journey times, and productivity to achieve strategic business and sustainability goals.
Cero3 leverages open data and advanced algorithms to analyse and score travel options, finding the most sustainable transport options and destinations for meetings in minutes.
We moved into Launch Space in November 2023 and instantly felt a part of the vibrant, bustling start-up community. Establishing ourselves alongside entrepreneurs has afforded us both peer learning and networking opportunities, invaluable when starting out on the start-up journey.
There are multiple benefits being based at Launch Space. Not only do we have an environment designed specifically to help businesses grow with managed office space, free wifi, workshops and a meeting space, we have tapped into the wide range of business support offered by UWE. This includes working with a MSc student consultancy team from the Business School, two funded internships, and continuous and invaluable business support from the entrepreneur in-residence and incubator manager. Their experience, coaching and support has allowed us to grow from a small team of one to a capable team of four in less than a year. “
Mark Haley, Co-Founder
Mycelsius
Mycelsius is a health deep-tech start-up developing the future of personal cooling. Co-founded by a former Dyson/F1 engineer, we aim to become the world leader in personal cooling technologies.
Mycelsius has developed a first miniaturized cooling system, our core IP is based on enhanced and miniaturized thermodynamic heat /cooling systems, which can be adapted and integrated to an array of other applications and industries such as climate change adaptation and industrial cooling suits.
“Our first mission is to tackle menopausal hot flushes and help improve women’s health & wellbeing.
Thanks to the support of the BRL and Launch Space facilities, the Mycelsius team has finalized the development of its first product, a wearable wrist-cooling device, that is proven to reduce or stop hot flushes and will kick-start commercialization by the end of 2024.
The company is about to kick-off fund-raising for its Seed round in September 2024.
Our experience at BRL has been brilliant, the advisory support, the connections/network of the team at Launch space and the facilities have really helped our start-up at a crucial time after raising our pre-seed and needing a strong base to deliver on our ambitious objectives.
One of our priorities throughout the product development process has been to ensure the product is designed with and by the users. Launch Space has managed to connect us with lots of women across campus who have participated in our user-trials and provided invaluable feedback that have fed directly into our design.
The Skills Pathway Programme was a highly successful modular training programme delivered with funding from the Mayoral Priority Skills Fund.
The fully funded programme offered individuals a flexible way to develop the skills needed to drive their career and business forward. Learners focused on the challenges and opportunities from within the workplace, enabling participants to develop new skills whilst adding value to their organisation and boosting economic growth in the region.
The programme was made up of four different pathways, designed to help individuals take advantage of workplace opportunities, utilise new technologies and tackle real-life work-based challenges.
Below we share two case studies of businesses that have taken advantage of the programme:
Usman Yaqub, Studio Yaqub
Industry: Construction
Chosen Pathway: Sustainability
Studio Yaqub is a residential & commercial architectural practice in the Bristol Area. They specialise in a range of architectural services, from concept design through to detailed drawings, providing guidance on planning, regulations and applications along the way.
“I would and have already highly recommended this course to a number of people and will continue to do so. It is being taught by very experienced teachers in the profession, who have world-class facilities to hand, which is further enhancing the learnings.”
Pinkmans is an independent bakery specialising in Wild Yeast Baking & Sourdough. Since opening they have received many accolades including being listed at one of the Sunday Times Top 25 Bakeries UK.
“On a personal level I feel I have become a more robust ‘boss’, communicating better with the team and building stronger relationships with the team as they see the business is investing in them as individuals as well as for the business”
After a successful third year of delivering the Small Business Charter accredited Help to Grow: Management Course, UWE Bristol is welcoming more business owners, managers and senior decision makers to register for upcoming cohorts.
Since March 2021, UWE has helped over 250 business leaders to complete the course. With modules covering strategies for growth and innovation, leading high-performance teams, building a strong brand, and financial management, Help to Grow: Management offers business leaders the opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations for a few hours a week and to take a more strategic look at their business.
The course is 90% subsidised by the government, costing participants just £750, and consists of:
12 modules in a mix of face-to-face and online learning
Weekly peer group calls
1-1 mentoring
Access to a local and national alumni network
Participants will learn from small business experts at Bristol Business School in a supportive, innovative environment. Previous cohorts have expressed the benefits of having the opportunity to network with other local businesses in an encouraging atmosphere that fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing.
UWE Bristol Help to Grow: Management Alumni and Director of 9Trees CIC, Michael Cunningham, commented:
“After a massive delve into all facets of 9Trees CIC, many hours of group work and discussion with all the companies involved, I feel I have come out with a greater understanding, putting into place some changes immediately and planning for the year ahead. We all made some great friends along the way too!”
UWE Bristol have three cohorts scheduled to run through the academic year 2024/25, with two cohorts planned to run in Bristol and one in Taunton. Find out more about courses available and book your place on our website, or contact the team on helptogrow@uwe.ac.uk.
Research embedded within restorative ceramic tile company Craven Dunnill Jackfield, by the Centre for Print Research (CFPR) via a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, has helped to restore a beloved British pub.
Back in 2001, a historic pub in the heart of the community in Wolverhampton was destroyed by developers before the pub could be listed as a heritage site.
Despite the people of Wolverhampton being keen to resurrect their treasured pub, little was left of the original. However, the remnants were recovered and stored in a museum, where experts at Craven Dunnill Jackfield would later 3D scan them to help restore the pub to its full glory.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity. A recent graduate is placed within an organisation to help solve a business problem, with access to academic expertise.
Craven Dunnill Jackfield undertook a KTP with UWE Bristol’s Centre for Print Research in 2021, which aimed to apply 3D technologies, specifically 3D scanning, to modernise the ceramic restoration process. The KTP was incredibly successful and opened up new revenue streams for Craven Dunnill Jackfield. The company saw a vast improvement in product development time from 2 weeks of model making, down to 4 days. Furthermore, reduced development costs on specific projects by up to 79%.
Associate Professor and academic lead on the project, David Huson commented:
“The Craven Dunnill Jackfield, CFPR/UWE KTP project shows that a committed Company and Academic team combined with an excellent, dedicated Associate can overcome the difficulties and adversities of operating during a pandemic to drive through to success. The project has been very successful and has exceeded the expectations of both partners.“
Craven Dunnill Jackfield used the knowledge learned through the KTP to help restore the pub to its former self.
Craven Dunnill’s Jed Hammerman 3D scanning ceramic tiling
Jed Leonard-Hammerman, 3D Technologies Specialist Craven Dunnill Jackfield commented:
“This project is a perfect example of how 3D technology can enhance traditional processes without replacing them. It validated the processes developed during the KTP and will be used as a framework for future restoration projects at Craven Dunnill Jackfield.”
Tasked with recreating the original pub’s decor using period photos as a guide, Craven Dunnill Jackfield were able to scan the remnants and use photos to help with the restoration.
In an exciting development for UWE Bristol’s Launch Space incubator, three graduate entrepreneurs have been awarded funding from Innovate UK to develop their business ideas. The Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award is a two-strand pilot competition designed to unearth and empower today’s untapped innovators and businesses, aiming to foster diverse talent across the UK. The awards offer financial support ranging from £5,000 for living expenses to up to £50,000 for business development.
Launch Space has guided hundreds of early-stage tech founders towards success. Catering to a diverse group of individuals, from recent graduates and first-time founders to seasoned entrepreneurs and businesses exploring new technologies, Launch Space continues to establish itself as a crucial player in the development of innovative ideas and ventures within the West of England tech start-up ecosystem.
The recipients of the award, Olivia Coy of Remedy, Gerald Lee of Mach D Trading, and Alex Montgomery of 50 Ways to Cook, have each been awarded £15,000. This financial boost is set to accelerate the development and scaling of their unique business ideas.
Olivia Coy
Olivia Coy, the force behind Remedy, highlighted the critical role of Launch Space in refining her application, stating, “The Launch Space support was instrumental in providing valuable feedback that helped strengthen my pitch and articulate the unique value proposition of my idea.” Remedy aims to enhance health literacy and quality of life for individuals with long-term conditions through its AI-powered, multi-platform medication management software.
Coy expressed her gratitude and excitement about the award, adding, “Winning fills me with a sense of validation and excitement for the journey ahead. It affirms that our vision for Remedy resonates with others and reinforces our commitment to making a meaningful impact in the healthcare industry.” Olivia is planning to use the funding to further develop Remedy’s platform, enhance user experience, and scale operations.
Gerald Lee
Gerald Lee of Mach D Trading shared his enthusiasm, crediting Launch Space for its pivotal role in his growth as a founder and entrepreneur. “Launch Space has allowed me to develop my business and MVP concepts, whether it was improving my pitch deck or refining my tech stack, Mark and Aimee have been invaluable to my growth as a founder and as an entrepreneur.” With a vision to make crypto trading safer, Lee emphasized the importance of understanding the target audience’s pain points and tailoring solutions to meet those needs.
The funding will support the creation of a community-focused on addressing these crucial issues in the crypto trading space. Feeling ecstatic about winning the award, Gerald commented: “We are excited that the UK Government believes in our goal to create a safer environment for everyone to enter the crypto trading space.”
Alex Montgomery
Alex Montgomery’s 50 Ways to Cook aims to impact society positively through food education. Montgomery reflected on how Launch Space transformed his lockdown project into a viable business, fostering his entrepreneurial skills and ideas. He comments: “The Launch Space accelerator programme surrounded myself with other entrepreneurs and really helped to develop my entrepreneurial skillset and develop my ideas with weekly expert workshops and mentoring. I received a lot of support from other cohort members and staff when writing my application which helped tremendously.”
Thrilled about receiving the award, Alex states: “I am over the moon about winning this award. To have backing and support from Innovate UK has really helped my confidence as an entrepreneur and it feels great to know other people are supportive of my idea and want to see it succeed”. The award will help Alex enable the improvement of innovative workshops and food education services, including the acquisition of equipment to enhance sensory food education.
During August and September 2023, the UWE Bristol incubation team delivered more than 30 hours of training and one-to-ones to support those applying for the grant funding. Senior Enterprise & Innovation Manager, Aimeé Skinner, worked with all three entrepreneurs and she commented “We are so pleased to see multiple UWE-graduate award winners this year – these awards validate the innovative ideas and huge potential of the recipients, as well as highlighting the pivotal role incubators play in nurturing early-stage ventures”.
Stephanie Jay recently joined the Launch Space team as Enterprise & Innovation Manager. Jay commented: “It’s exciting to be joining at a time when there are multiple grant award winners in the space – I am looking forward to working with them as they develop their ideas and grow.”
Located within the £16m University Enterprise Zone on Frenchay Campus, Launch Space has become a beacon of support for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses.
