University News Last updated 04 November 2010
A successful working partnership between Birmingham City University and Birmingham City Council is being celebrated next week.
The Student Awards for Excellence will recognise the work of 22 students from the School of Property, Construction & Planning and Birmingham School of Architecture and is being held on Tuesday 9th November.
The event celebrates the innovative partnership and commitment to collaborative working that has developed between the two organisations over the past three years.
The awards highlight the excellent standard of work achieved by the Birmingham City University students across projects, dissertations and technical application.
The collaboration between Birmingham City University and the Urban Design department at Birmingham City Council has set aims, focusing on sharing knowledge, experience and best practice. Signed in February 2008, the Charter identified the need to link academia to industry and to develop individuals through training and creating job opportunities.
Birmingham City University is delighted that this synergy in working is beneficial to both parties. Richard Jordan, Senior Academic at the School of Property, Construction & Planning at Birmingham City University, said: “The Urban Design Collaborative Partnership is an excellent example of the way in which the School works in partnership with industry in order to create a range of exciting awards to bring out the best in our students whether undergraduate or postgraduate.”
The Student Awards for Excellence will be presented by Councillor Randal Brew, Cabinet Member for Finance. This year’s ceremony will be sponsored by Urban Design along with three regionally-based building and construction companies – GFTomlinson, Wates Construction and Thomas Vale Construction.
Phil Harrison, Managing Director for Wates Construction in the Midlands and North commented: “Education is the lifeblood of our economy and in the current climate, nurturing future talent matters more than ever. It is our privilege to support this awards initiative that both rewards excellence and demonstrates how the city and academia are working together to invest in the industry of tomorrow.”
The Student Excellence Awards will demonstrate pioneering new techniques that have been implemented to ensure that Birmingham City Council is able to compete in the future with the private sector for the services of the very best graduates in areas of major skills shortage, such as surveying and architecture.
“We are very excited at the developments in this partnership and are keen to see the positive impact that the fresh new talent will have with the experience and expertise of our team. This is great news for the City” added Steve Vickers, General Manager of Urban Design at Birmingham City Council.