University of South Wales praised for its role in tackling inequality in Newport

The University of South Wales (USW) has been praised for its role in tackling inequality in Newport.

USW is a founding partner in the Business in the Community (BITC) Place Programme in the Welsh city and has recently launched its new Newport Engagement Hub, which acts as a central space for local organisations to connect with university resources, engage with faculty, and access facilities, while also connecting community groups and businesses.

For this project, USW has hosted a series of events including Business and Community Connections Day and Cost of Living support sessions. Alongside this, the university has also supported schools across Newport, engaged with organisations such as Eden Gate homeless outreach, Newport Yemini Community Association, and KidCare4U.

This new project has already reached more than 1,500 individuals. Additionally, they have also provided non-financial support to 29 organisations and hosted 20 community events.

Speaking with the South Wales Argus, BITC’s Wales director, Tracy Rees said: “We are delighted to have USW as a founding partner of the Newport and RCT Place programme. USW plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategy and direction of the education and skills work that we undertake in deprived communities.

“Through our partnership we are helping everyone to achieve their potential, we’re influencing the work and life chances of more than 400,000 people that live in Newport and RCT and building a fairer world.”

The new engagement hub will be home to Start-up Stiwdio Sefydlu, USW Exchange and Events teams to provide access to USW’s academic expertise, business support, guidance and more for a variety of organisations seeking to grow their business.

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Chris Wright, USW’s head of engagement services, said: “By co-locating our business and community engagement services within our new Engagement Hub, we are creating an easier-to-access approach to supporting our business and community partners across Newport and Gwent.

Adding: “The bringing together of our engagement services into this one location will create a vibrant and diverse community to collaborate and build future partnerships and growth in the region.”

The hub supports diverse programs, including STRIVE management training, which has benefited local organisations like Newport City Homes and has been so successful that it was shortlisted in the Best Learning and Development Initiative Award category at the CIPD Wales Awards.

Lisa Smallwood, Newport City Homes’ learning and development lead, said: “STRIVE has been a huge success for us and this is in large part due to the location and facilities – our managers were excited to get off site and into a new environment.

“This provides them with distance from the day job and gives them time and space to focus on themselves and their own development.”

Smallwood added: “The USW staff are always on hand to help and support us when needed allowing us to have assurance that any events we hold there will run smoothly.”

In partnership with BITC, USW has also addressed urgent community needs in Newport through initiatives, such as a food distribution program which has delivered over 1,000 meals monthly to food collection points. These efforts reflect USW’s commitment to creating lasting positive change in Newport’s communities.

Feature image credit: Youtube