WORKING WITH INDUSTRY The University of South Wales has a long history of working with employers. We are known as the ‘Business University’ and is proud of its heritage of being founded for industry, by industry. The School of Law, Accounting and Finance is no exception to this and has excellent links with business and employers, having delivered work based learning on site for commercial partners for a considerable period of time. One current example of this, is the delivery of work-based learning at Wales’s biggest financial services organisations. Experts from the School are already working with graduates at Atradius, Admiral, GMAC and Composite Legal to deliver credits towards the University's MSc Financial Services in their workplace. Each of the 20 graduates on the two year pilot programme, which is part-funded by the Welsh Government’s Sector Priorities Fund, undertake a six month training seat with each organisation and will complete the MSc on a part-time basis. The programme sees employers taking a more cohesive approach to training and recruiting potential employees and is an excellent example of collaboration between the private, public and higher education sector. The scheme will develop the pool of graduates looking for employment, and encourage them to stay in Wales rather than seeking employment elsewhere.
Donna Whitehead, Head of the School of Law, Accounting and Finance explained, “This project means that graduates entering the industry will train with all four of the major companies while also gaining a Masters level qualification. The University of South Wales was chosen to deliver this project because we have a track record in providing flexible, tailor made learning in the workplace.” A further example of the School’s work with employers is delivery of a bespoke MSc Intellectual Property Law to staff at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in Newport. Staff at the IPO undertake 120 credits worth of taught classes and then complete a dissertation in an intellectual property law area in order to achieve their qualification. This has been successfully delivered for a number of years and currently there are around 45 students undertaking studies through this route. With the opening of our new London Centre, the University can offer similar opportunities to work with employers in London, enabling employees to develop their professional skills whilst gaining a postgraduate qualification.
www.southwales.ac.uk/london
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