Chief Executive Jonathan Sharrock also noted the impressive contribution that the building will make to the regional economy during a tour with Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Longmore and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Seamus Higson. The senior figures were also joined by Katie Nurcombe, Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Coast to Capital, as well as the University's Director of Strategic Development Romy Jones and Deputy Director of Estate Management Dave Wratten.
The Engineering and Digital Technology Park has been supported and part-funded with an £8million grant from the government's Local Growth Fund through Coast to Capital, which works to encourage economic growth across the region. The construction, which will open in September, aims to produce 500 new graduates per year by 2020, each with the skills that the UK economy needs to remain industrially competitive on a global scale.
The Park will bring together skills and expertise across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics with productive opportunities for regional businesses to get involved. It has already received the backing from more than 40 industry organisations, including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Sony, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises which have declared a shortage of workers with STEM skills.
For more about the Engineering and Digital Technology Park at the University of Chichester visit http://steam.chi.ac.uk. Alternatively to find out more about the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership go to www.coast2capital.org.uk.