Universities
The West Midlands is home to some of the most outstanding universities, not only in the country, but in the world.
Higher education in the UK has always been very competitive, with universities fighting to attract the best and brightest to their campuses.
The West Midlands is no different, and all our higher education providers are continually striving (and investing) to improve their academic, research and student satisfaction standings.
As a result, many of our institutions are highly ranked – domestically and internationally – across several key university performance indicators.
Our universities see the same high performance as our schools. Of the 22 higher education institutions which are within a one-hour drive time of the region, 63% have been awarded the UK’s Teaching Excellence ‘gold’ ranking.
There are nine world-class higher education institutions spread out across the West Midlands Combined Authority, including:
Outstanding Institutions
Out of all the 22 universities within a one-hour drive time, 63% were rated Gold, the highest award for the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework. This means that student experiences and outcomes are outstanding. The remaining eight institutions were awarded Silver.
Aston, Warwick and Birmingham Business Schools are all part of an elite group of ‘triple-crown’ business schools, holding the gold standard of accreditations from the AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS. Nottingham University Business School and Loughborough University also belong to this elite group and are in easy reach of our cities.
Aston appears in 2022’s Top 150 providers of Business and Management studies (based on the QS World University Rankings), as does Warwick and the University of Birmingham. Having three such globally recognised business schools accounts for why the region produces more qualified business graduates than any other part of the UK outside of London.
This helps explain why the region is home to one of the largest student populations in the UK (185,000) and produces more than 60,000 graduates every year.
Universities and industry
Our universities and colleges also understand that in today’s world, taking a partnership approach is a key element of success, both academically and commercially.
Working closely with industry and policymakers is a key element of this approach, and the region’s universities and business schools have between them over 100 centres of excellence directly related to real-world social, environmental and economic issues.
In the technology and innovation space alone, the region has over 30 business accelerators, incubators and support programmes – many of which are based at our universities – which are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges (including how we successfully migrate to a zero-carbon future, manage an ageing population, and help to combat future pandemics).
Not only do our key institutions all work closely with business, government and other key stakeholders, but they also collaborate with each other both through formal arrangements and via informal, peer-to-peer collaborations.
Such a commitment to joint working, sharing best practices – and genuinely supporting each other – is a very West Midlands approach, and one which stretches far beyond the libraries, lecture halls and labs of our great halls of learning.
Sought-after graduates and high employability
Academic studies are blended with both personal enrichment and ‘preparedness for work’ experiences – ensuring that every student is inspired and empowered to take whichever pathway they choose.
The region’s graduates are also extremely employable. For example, in 2021, graduates from the universities of both Warwick and Birmingham were ranked among the top six most sought-after graduate employee cohorts in the whole of the UK.
In 2021, the University of Birmingham was ranked by HE research specialists High Flyers as the UK’s number one institution most frequently targeted by the country’s top graduate employers.
This ranked them higher than Oxford, Cambridge, London Imperial, LSE, Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh Exeter and Bath.
More than just amazing MBAs
The relationship between the region’s academics and the world of business does not end with world-class Executive MBAs, Management PHDs or post-graduate degrees in Finance. Our universities work directly with global corporations and major UK firms – such as PwC, Vodafone, The Bank of England and HSBC – to develop bespoke business training programmes for staff at apprenticeship, degree and master’s levels.
Our universities and colleges also offer a wide range of Continuing Professional Development programmes (CPD) directly aligned to specific sector needs and have an extensive array of Degree Apprenticeships, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships – and other initiatives – which are informed by the demands of employers and industry.
You can also boost your business skills – and grow your professional network – by plugging into the huge range of both formal and informal peer-to-peer events, sector-specific meetups, and industry forums.
There are also stacks of fully funded development programmes, business support schemes and skills initiatives, available across the region designed to boost individual professional performance.
