The University of Worcester has been shortlisted for two awards recognising its contribution to the community and its commitment to inclusion.
The Circle 2 Success Regional Business Awards celebrate excellence in businesses and organisations across the South Midlands and Southwest.
The University of Worcester is shortlisted for the Community Award and the Culture and Diversity Award. Winners will be announced in the summer.
Worcester is an exemplar of a community-engaged university, from its work to educate the local workforce, including nurses, teachers, sports coaches and many other professionals, to the development of its facilities to be open to the public.
The Hive, Europe’s first fully integrated university and public library, developed by the University in partnership with Worcestershire County Council, welcomes thousands of visits from schoolchildren every year, helps several hundred adults with community learning and developing vital job skills, as well as hosting well over a million visits, since opening in 2012.
Professor David Green CBE DL, the University’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “The University of Worcester is deeply committed to educating socially responsible citizens in a wide range of professions. We carry out vital research in plant science, human health and educational development as well as opening our doors to share our facilities. We aim to use our expertise and research to drive change and build a better world.
“We are all delighted that we have been shortlisted for these two awards, which recognise our ethos at Worcester, to be a fully inclusive and engaged partner in our region and the wider world.”
This commitment to inclusion is why the University has also been shortlisted for the Culture and Diversity Award, which celebrates organisations that have developed cultures where diversity and inclusion are at the heart of their business and values.
Worcester is currently in the top 10 in the UK for Gender Equality in the prestigious Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings and has consistently been among the top in the Country for fair gender pay, with women represented equally throughout the institution from the lower grades to the top.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded into all aspects of the University’s work, from the development of facilities to research and curriculum.
Professor Green added: “Our ethos is deeply rooted in the belief that education is a powerful agent of social mobility. Our extensive partnerships in the Black Country, including with Dudley, Walsall, and Halesowen Colleges, help to bring opportunities to children and young people, as well as more mature learners, in a very deprived part of Britain which has, historically, been deeply underserved by higher education.”
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email [email protected]