The University of Gloucestershire has welcomed companies working in banking, finance and professional services to a business engagement event at its new £20 million School of Business and Technology at its Oxstalls campus.

Representatives of Handlesbanken, Natwest and Lombard were among a group of guests visiting the new ultramodern building, which also houses the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership’s ‘Growth Hub’ and the University’s business development department – ‘University in Business (UiB).’

University of Gloucestershire Vice Chancellor, Stephen Marston, said:

“We’re very proud of this new building. It has been a long-held vision to bring together our School of Business and Technology, which specialises in subjects including finance, accounting, law, HR and management.

“We want to provide a full range of services for companies and help our students meet with businesses on a day-to-day basis to solve very real challenges.

“The Growth Hub further acts as a diagnostic service for any enterprises that want to understand where they should go next to develop their business, and the

University provides support services for company formation, leadership development and growth.

“Apprenticeships are another exciting opportunity, and for those wanting to work and get paid while earning a new qualification they now operate from Level 2, equivalent to GCSE study, all the way to Level 7, which matches up to a Masters qualification.”

Event guest Mark Wilton of HSBC commented: “The School of Science and Technology is a fantastic building. HSBC is a global bank but we have a very local presence and it’s important for us to make our clients aware of the facilities that are available in Gloucestershire.

“For the University, having an apprenticeship scheme in place where they can train the next generation is incredibly important and is a big selling point for Gloucestershire.”

Ruth Dooley of Hazlewoods Accountants added: “By coming along I’ve been able to learn more about what’s on offer and we’re already in discussions with the University about apprenticeships.”

For further details: www.glos.ac.uk/business-and-partnerships