THE UNIVERSITIES AT MEDWAY: IMPACREPOT RT 2 INTRODUCTION The Universities at Medway is a unique Since 2004, it has grown to welcome The Universities at Medway partnership between Canterbury Christ more than 10,000 students to its commissioned Viewforth Consulting to Church University, the University of campus each year. It provides a range carry out a study of its economic impact Greenwich, and the University of Kent at of academic and professional learning during the financial year 2015/16. This a shared campus at Chatham Maritime. opportunities, with a focus on report is based in part on the findings The partnership was established in 2004 education, health and social care, of this study and explores the positive and in the 15 years since, it has made a engineering, business, journalism and impact that the Universities at Medway real difference to the lives of people the creative industries. The Universities has on the social, cultural and studying, working, visiting and living in at Medway is a core part of the strategic community life of the Medway area Medway. In its role as an educator, economic development plans for and the south-east region. employer, research institution, cultural Medway, supporting the area’s potential and sporting hub, and community as a ‘city of culture, learning and organisation, the Universities at enterprise.’ Medway has a major impact. 3 OUR IMPACT IN NUMBERS Economic impact: Supporting local jobs: More than More than £143m 1,587 contributed to Medway’s FTE jobs in the south-east economy dependent on our activities and those of our students Growing the local Attracting medical talent: economy: Kent and Medway Medical School Our students spend more than will attract £158m 100 with Medway businesses aspiring doctors to train and work and services in Kent and Medway each year Investing in skills: Helping our communities: Estimated More than £11m £ 16,000 added to Kent and Medway’s economy hours volunteered by students running when the new EDGE Hub opens in 2020 societies and helping charities and the community 4 5 THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE ECONOMY Overall the Universities at Medway and its students contributed £143.6m to the Staff and student spending local economy during the financial year 2015/16. The universities’ activities on The Universities at Medway is home to thousands the Medway campus made up a substantial proportion of their incomes, at of students and hundreds of staff who spend £82.5m in total. The three universities also made significant investments in money on local services and goods. This off- 2015/16, with £82.7m spent on the Medway campus in that year, including on campus spending supports a number of local the development of new academic facilities and a brand-new student social businesses, from restaurants and taxi services, to and study hub at the centre of the campus. retailers and leisure facilities. The personal spending of students in Medway, Through the educational programmes that it Knock-on effects excluding what they contribute in university fees, is offers, the excellent and world-leading research equivalent to £158.2m. More than £140m of this Spending by the Universities at Medway creates a that its academics carry out, and the investment spend is brought into the Medway towns by wider economic impact by delivering further that it both creates and attracts, the Universities at students who come from outside of the local area. Medway helps to support the Medway towns’ ‘knock-on’ effects. The institutions purchase a range of goods from local and regional suppliers ambitions. With its support, Medway can remain This includes spending by international students and those suppliers, in-turn, buy from other local at the forefront of innovation and enterprise, (from EU and non-EU countries), who contributed organisations, creating a ripple effect that continue to build on its reputation as one of the a total of £12.3m to UK GDP in 2015/16. Student generates further economic benefits. strongest engineering hubs in the south-east and spending supports more than 300 jobs in the become a respected and established home to the Medway towns and a further 949 jobs in the Through that ‘knock-on’ effect, the Universities at creative industries. south-east region. Medway generated £107.1m of outputs for the The Universities at Medway actively supports south-east economy in 2015/16, supporting more Medway’s ambition to be a leading waterfront than 1,587 full-time equivalent jobs in the south- university city by 2035. east, in addition to those available at the Universities at Medway. 6 REALISING OUR SHARED POTENTIAL One of the driving forces for the More than 10,500 Higher Education students are More than 859 full-time equivalent jobs are founding of the Universities at based at the Medway campus. The universities generated by the Universities at Medway, with a Medway was a desire to open up recruit 12 per cent of all students at the campus further 343 jobs generated by student spending Higher Education to as many people directly from the Medway area, with a further 41 and activities, making a total of 1,202 jobs in as possible and widen participation in per cent from other parts of the south-east, and Medway dependent on the Universities at university studies. In addition to 13 per cent from overseas. The Universities at Medway. This is equivalent to 1.7 per cent Medway has successfully retained more than of all jobs in Medway. supporting skills development among 1,200 students who might otherwise have left the local people, it attracts students from area to study elsewhere. In addition, more than While many staff working at the campus are other areas of the UK and from 22,000 young people with no previous experience academics, the universities also provide countries around the world to play a of university within their family have taken part in employment in a wide range of skilled and role in the area’s knowledge economy. outreach activities run by Kent and Medway semi-skilled professions and occupations, Progression Federation (KMPF). It works with ranging from maintaining the campus estate 40 schools in the area to raise attainment among as gardeners or plumbers, to providing young people and is backed by Canterbury Christ professional services such as accounting Church University and the University of Kent. and marketing. 7 Boosting local science and engineering skills The new Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub at Canterbury Christ Church University will support high-value employment, growth and investment in engineering and technology businesses in Kent and Medway. A new facility will open in Canterbury in 2020 and is estimated to be worth up to £11 million a year to the local economy. It will add 1,250 more graduates with higher-level engineering and technology skills into the regional labour market by 2024. Delivered in partnership with industry, the Hub will help to address skills shortages in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and will support regional economic growth. It will build on Medway’s existing strengths as an engineering hub. Robot Wars: Inspiring young New routes into education: engineers University of Kent Centre for Higher and Degree Level Engineering faculty and students at the Apprenticeships University of Greenwich have found a novel way to inspire young people in the region to engage Based at the Universities at Medway site, with engineering and science subjects. For the the University of Kent’s Centre for Higher past two years they have designed and built a and Degree Level Apprenticeships robot to join the battle to become champion of launched during National Apprenticeship BBC Two television series Robot Wars . Week in March 2017. The Centre leads Building on the University’s world-leading and co-ordinates the University’s work expertise in engineering and robotic technology, with employers to deliver higher and the work to design and build the robots sits at degree apprenticeships in a wide range of the heart of the University’s outreach campaign professions including laboratory science, to inspire more young people to consider a construction, business management, career in engineering. The Faculty of Engineering procurement and social work. The Centre and Science engages dozens of schools in has supported more than 90 apprentices Medway and across Kent each year, with over the last year, including school-leavers pupils taking part in a competition to design a who are starting their working lives, and robot to compete in an annual Robot Wars Live existing members of staff at the University of the University’s efforts to open routes challenge, hosted at the Universities at Medway who aim to increase their skills and gain a into Higher Education to local people and campus. University engineers work with degree-level qualification whilst working in to widen participation in the university shortlisted schools to build the robots ready their current role. The Centre is a core part experience. for competition each September. 8 MAKING MEDWAY A PLACE TO BE PROUD OF The Universities at Medway is working in partnership with Medway Council During the summer vacation period, between and its business community to develop Medway’s place story, identifying what mid-June and mid-September, the universities makes the Medway Towns distinctive. It fully supports the ambition to transform also offer modern accommodation for up to 750 Medway into a vibrant waterfront university city by 2035. delegates at Liberty Quays, adding extra capacity to Medway’s peak summer accommodation offer for visitors. The universities are ambassadors for the local A range of conferencing and events facilities area, promoting the Medway towns to students provided by the universities attract hundreds The creation of the Universities at Medway played and visitors from across the world.