We can help you to ride the storm

Apr 1 2009 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

TEESSIDE University is taking the lead in helping businesses and individuals through the credit crunch, with Vice-Chancellor Graham Henderson invited to three national events to speak about what the university can do.

The university’s measures to help businesses include halving invoice turnaround time to help suppliers with their cash flow, running future management master classes to help companies cope with the recession and offering generous bursaries to post-graduates and those new to higher education.

Professor Henderson said: “We’re accelerating some of our planned activities to give a further boost to the local community, such as having a second campus base in Darlington.

“We’re looking for temporary accommodation to start a range of courses this coming autumn and not waiting until we have a new purpose-built development.

“We believe there’s a lot the region can do to pull together to beat the recession.”

In a further move, the university is starting work on a £13m construction project to build a new dental technology training and sport therapy centre, complete with facilities for the community shared with the NHS.

This will create 150 construction and auxiliary jobs over the next 15 months - and a third new teaching block is in the pipeline to provide for an unprecedented number of part-time students on campus.

One North East chairman, Margaret Fay, praised the university’s pragmatic approach to helping businesses through the recession, saying: “The region’s businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and it is crucial that we act now to provide real help to support them through the downturn and see them emerge stronger on the other side.

“This campaign is an example of how public organisations, private businesses and academia can work collectively to support the North-east during the recession. This is a practical approach that Teesside University is taking to help during these challenging times and it is very much welcome.”

Prof Henderson has been invited to address conferences organised by UniversitiesUK, the higher education and external relations association HEERA, and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, in London; the annual conference of the British Universities Finance Directors Group at Leeds Metropolitan University and the Times Higher Education magazine conference - Employer Engagement: How far should universities go to meet the needs of employers?

The university’s 16-point plan to beat the crunch features the following:

Halving the time it takes to pay bills - with weekly payments of all authorised invoices.

Delivering Future Management master classes to give employers new skills on managing through the recession.

Bringing forward £2.2m of work on university buildings.

Starting work on the construction of the new dental technology training and sports therapy centre, creating 150 building trade jobs.

Accelerating plans for a second campus base to provide courses in Darlington, bringing higher education to the west of the Tees Valley.

Appointing a team of business account managers to develop relationships with business and promote a business-like culture.

Introducing subsidised training packages with employers and FE colleges to help workforce development.

Providing low-cost business start-up incubation units on campus to graduates and others launching new enterprises and bringing jobs to Middlesbrough.

Supporting the flagship DigitalCity initiative to keep high-tech jobs and companies in the region.

Offering temporary university posts to skilled personnel facing redundancy in regional companies and organisations

Stepping up Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and shorter Collaborative Innovation Partnership (CIPs), to help firms introduce new ideas.

Providing generous bursaries worth £2,400 for postgraduate students.

Delivering free taster sessions in the June-August Summer University to help people with career changes and developing new skills.

Introducing special initiatives to support the process industry, including a new Science to Business Hub supported by the European Union.

Offering new bursaries in partnership with One NorthEast for “displaced” workers in the electronics, process and engineering sectors who can start postgraduate courses this summer, worth up to £11,050.

Providing careers advice to graduates for up to two years after they leave the university.

More details can be found at its Business Solutions for the Real World site at www.tees.ac.uk/businesshelp/