University to play key role in post-pandemic economic recovery

Coventry University is to play a crucial role in the nation’s economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, along with fellow universities in the West Midlands.

They’ll be supporting the economic and social recovery campaign ‘#GettingResults’ launched by Universities UK (UUK), which is setting out to help people and businesses recover from the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic - with a renewed commitment from universities to deliver even greater impact both locally and nationally.

New research published by UUK predicts that, over the next five years, universities in the West Midlands, including Coventry, will train 16,000 nurses and 5,000 medics, bolstering the UK’s ability to fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently 4,705 students on health professional courses across Coventry University Group’s UK campuses.

With universities in the region also expected to train around 18,000 teachers, Coventry University’s National School of Education and Teaching (NSET) – a leading provider of initial teacher training and postgraduate degrees in education and educational leadership – will have an instrumental role to play.

Local universities will also aim to help form around 1,300 new businesses and charities, contribute to research projects worth a total of almost £2 billion and play important roles in regeneration projects worth approximately £547 million to the local economy.

Coventry University is one of only 25 organisations to receive a prestigious UK Business Hero title for their work in the city and region during 2020. The university was nominated for the award by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce due to the impact its COVID-19 response had on a local, national and global scale.

Coventry University has already supported local businesses through a specialist COVID-19 programme delivering enhanced business support across the Midlands, as well as bringing together leading industry figure heads to discuss how creative industries will support economic recovery in the region.

The university’s award-winning spin-out company Coventry University Social Enterprise (CUSE) also helped a mix of students and members of the local community to launch a total of 34 new start-up businesses including 15 social enterprises across the 2019/2020 academic year.

Another Coventry University spin-out company - FabLab Coventry - helped to create and donate 900 PPE masks for the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. More than 25 PhD students at Coventry University also volunteered to support University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire with COVID-19 testing, while a further 50 paramedic students assisted the West Midlands Ambulance Service with emergency response work.

Coventry University prides itself on combining industry knowledge with academic expertise and excellent facilities to offer students a learning experience that gives them the necessary skills to prepare them for employment and professional work upon graduating.