University News Last updated 02 August 2018

has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 探花直播 in a bid to collaborate on a new programme to develop skills and improve regional productivity through research, projects, and the closer co-operation between business and academia.
The new partnership will see the two organisations work collaboratively to help support efforts by the Society to continue to embrace the growing influence of digital on the retail and funeralcare industries, as well as seeking partnership cooperation on business development.
Digital skills
Alongside 探花直播, Central England Co-operative aims to become increasingly digitally enabled, provide research and innovation through joint projects and business partnerships, grow and nurture talent in the local area, and extend digital skills across all communities in the region.
探花直播 Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julian Beer said:
鈥淭his agreement paves the way for us to explore new ways of better serving the region and, in turn, we hope it will inform our own teaching through practice-based learning opportunities.鈥
think:digital
The collaboration will also include the creation of a digital hub, called think:digital, based in an office on 探花直播鈥檚 City Centre Campus.
Central England Co-operative Chief Executive Martyn Cheatle said:
鈥淎s a business, we are always looking to the future and ensuring we are ready to meet the changing needs of our customers and members.
鈥淲e are delighted to have signed this Memorandum of Understanding and are looking forward to working closely with 探花直播.鈥
探花直播 is fast becoming the leading Midlands-based university for transforming the region and accelerating growth in the local economy. The University works with in excess of 5,000 businesses locally, nationally and internationally.
John Armstrong, Head of Information Technology at Central England Co-operative is leading on this collaboration. He said:
鈥淲e see this as an ideal opportunity to work with the university and use its knowledge base, business partnerships and digital skillset to help Central England Co-operative grow as a business.
鈥淭he partnership will allow us to become a more digitally enabled Society. This is an exciting link up and we look forward to working closely together to innovate, develop and rollout exciting and advanced digital ways of working to help and support the businesses sectors the Society operates in.鈥
Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
The agreement builds upon the previous collaboration between Central England Co-operative and the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at 探花直播.听听
Professor Hanifa Shah, Associate Dean of Research and Enterprise, 探花直播, added:
鈥淧artnerships with local and global organisations are part of our DNA. The market for digital and technical skills is evolving rapidly and our focus on staff, student, and industry collaboration puts us at the forefront of these developments.鈥
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