New business hub brings university and business together

A new concept of business hub which puts together the needs of SMEs with the skills of academia was launched at the University of South Wales (USW) this week. (September 18).

The USW Exchange, sponsored by Barclays, is a one-stop-shop for businesses wanting to tap into talent at the University, providing business support advice while offering a unique student experience.

Speaking at the launch event, Economy and Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates, said: “Following the core principles of ‘Be The Spark’, we are committed to working with others to create the right conditions in Wales for businesses and entrepreneurial talent to thrive and grow, and a key part of this is ensuring they have access to new labour market talent.

“This new facility provides an ideal environment for students to gain a better understanding of the skills and experience needed in the workplace, and it will enable businesses in the region to access the support and advice needed to help grow their enterprises and collaborate more closely with academia.”

As well as supporting the local economy, USW Exchange enables students to gain the valuable real-life experience of working on live industry projects.

Through the Student Consultancy Firm, students are matched with companies in need of their particular skills. All students work alongside a supervising academic on live projects.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, Assistant Pro Vice-Chancellor at USW, and Be The Spark Panel member said: “The USW Exchange is a first for Wales. It provides an open door for businesses to come into the University and identify the knowledge, experience and expertise they need to help their businesses to grow.

“Businesses can use the USW Exchange Centre on the Treforest campus as a space for collaboration and interaction. It is a place to support start-ups and expand existing businesses, and somewhere to build links between industry and graduate talent.”

Siwan Rees, Director of USW Exchange said: “The USW Exchange is all about addressing the challenges of today by developing the student skills of tomorrow. This pioneering initiative that has been developed at the University of South Wales aims to link academia with its community, to bridge the gap between businesses and our academic expertise. We are passionate about developing student businesses and supporting students into their careers of choice”

For more information on the USW Exchange click here.