Professional focus at the University of Bolton

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MOTORSPORT ENGINEERING

The already successful motorsport programme at the University of Bolton led to the development of the groundbreaking project the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering, which is the next rung on our performance engineering development ladder. The University is investing £13 million in the facility, providing first-class facilities in an inventive environment that is unrivalled in academia. Students who are studying Advanced Performance Engineering and Motorsport Technology will have access to the most contemporary equipment in a purpose-built environment, cementing the University of Bolton as a leader in automotive performance engineering.

RACE TEAM ON CAMPUS

Thanks to our unique partnerships in the classroom, in the workshop and on the racetrack, our students have the opportunity to gain hands-on, real-life career experience. Partnering with racing teams and seasoned drivers, the Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering, aka CAPE, aims to offer its students a unique learning experience – they put in their hours in the lecture theatre like anyone else but when they get out on the track, it’s for real.

BOLTON ONE

Partner development is a keystone in the University of Bolton’s growth strategy. It already has a three-partner build to its credit, a unique working relationship that created Bolton One with NHS Bolton and Bolton Council. Together they brought £31 million to the table to create a leisure, health and research centre at the front of Deane Campus, which is shared by the whole community. Within Bolton One, Sport and Biomedical Sciences students benefit from a fully equipped Sports and Spinal Injury Clinic as well as an Athlete Development Centre, both of which are used by professional athletes. Just like their Advanced Performance Engineering counterparts, Athlete Development and Sport Rehabilitation students work with academics whose professional experience is exemplary.

NHS PARTNERSHIP

The University of Bolton is working collaboratively with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Bolton Foundation NHS Trust and Central Manchester Foundation NHS Trust to create the revolutionary BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) degree. The University was the first in England to offer student nursing places that are not commissioned by Health Education England.

OCTAGON THEATRE

Our relationship with the acclaimed Octagon Theatre, Bolton, provides our students with the opportunity to work alongside and observe professionals, including artistic director Elizabeth Newman and award-winning theatre director David Thacker, now Professor of Theatre at the University. The University and the Octagon, one of the UK’s most successful regional producing theatres, have together developed an innovative BA (Hons) degree in Theatre. The course combines a rich variety of practical learning activities (including acting, directing and rehearsing) with core critical and analytical modules in both University and professional settings.

SFX SUPERSTARS

Teaching takes place in state-of-the-art modern, compact studios. Guest lectures and live briefs ensure that students are taught to industry standards with many graduates having progressed to work on Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. Graduates have gone on to work on such box-office hits as the Harry Potter and James Bond movies, and Game of Thrones.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The University’s success lies in its innovative approach to partnerships and putting its students’ professional future first. Speaking of firsts, The University of Bolton was the first university in the region to have a University Technical College (UTC) on campus.

Focusing on engineering and health technologies, UTC Bolton is one of a new breed of profession-focused education opportunities for young people. Providing outstanding technical and academic education for 14-19 year olds, the UTC is committed to creating the next generation of scientists, healthcare practitioners, engineers and entrepreneurs. The University, with its specialist areas of excellence in engineering and healthcare, is a lead partner in the UTC.

Open to the idea of providing development opportunities outside ‘the traditional higher education approach’, the University of Bolton is an example of making the extraordinary work. Where else would you find a Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering with a professional racing team based on campus? Again, it’s a UK first for the higher education sector.

WORKING WITH OTHERS

The University brings together communities in its own way. On campus, we have recently had the pleasure of welcoming a number of significant guests and keynote speakers from a variety of vocational backgrounds to talk to staff, students, and members of the local business community and general public. Freedom of Information Commissioner Christopher Graham gave an enlightening talk at the May instalment of our regular An Evening With… Gordon Burns, while important visitors to the Centre for Islamic Finance have been wide ranging; from leading security, cybercrime and fraud expert Don Randall to Pope Francis’s Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, His Excellency Archbishop Antonio Mennini.

Off campus, photography exhibition We are Bolton this month opened at the Bolton Museum and Art Gallery in the town centre. Councillor Carole Swarbrick approached the University about collaborating on the show to celebrate what she calls the Bolton Family; something she wished to leave as her legacy on stepping down from her role as Mayor of Bolton. The project saw second-year Photography BA (Hons) students working with local residents and workers to document everyday life in the town, reinforcing the University’s outward-facing approach.

The newly elected Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Lynda Byrne, was one of the honoured guests at the recent launch event for the University’s Creative Show, which exhibits and celebrates the work undertaken by our students in the Bolton School of the Arts. Our profession-focused approach is typified by our students’ success stories. One recent example is the unprecedented win of Textiles & Surface Design student Kera Allen at the highly prestigious Surtex Designext Awards in New York. As well as offering an amazing experience, just as importantly it’s a standout achievement to relay to future employers.

Indeed, the importance of education providers engaging the community and local organisations is widely recognised, and this is something we at the University of Bolton actively seek out. We work closely with organisations in the region, from national charities like the Prince’s Trust to local groups like Bolton Lads & Girls Club, which we constantly support. We are also proud of our track record in forging, maintaining and strengthening links with key businesses and initiatives, such as our new partnership with multinational retailer Decathlon and our involvement in Bolton Food & Drink Festival. Thanks to the contacts developed by our academic staff, who have unparalleled industry and professional experience, our students are able to contribute their skills and knowledge by gaining hands-on, real-world experience with anything from top sports clubs and motor-racing teams to local authorities and the arts sector.

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The vision of the Vice Chancellor, Professor George E Holmes DL, to develop his ‘Teaching Intensive, Research Informed’ approach puts our students at the centre of the University’s interests so that they can benefit from the excellence of both our academic staff and our constantly evolving facilities.

‘We’re in the business of transforming lives,’ he says. ‘We want to give students the opportunity to achieve an extraordinary future, and that means doing something different.

‘Many of our students come from families where there isn’t the common familiarity with university so they don’t necessarily have that confidence that comes with experience. They are the pioneers; they are doing everything first and that’s a lot to take on.

‘We focus on growth areas where we can specialise, and offer a unique experience that is different, but very profession focused.’