Construction and Infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall, and the University of Salford have today announced a new collaborative partnership to help students enter the employment market in a more ‘work ready’ state.
Focused on enhancing the employability credentials of undergraduates, the partnership builds on work already undertaken with the university to combine leading academic insight with real world experience and learning.
Central to its commitment to develop a ‘future-fit’ workforce, Morgan Sindall is using its growing portfolio of projects in the Salford area to provide onsite experience to undergraduates as well as supporting PhD students by providing research opportunities within the company.
Members of the team will also continue to undertake regular lectures at the University’s School of the Built Environment (SoBE), as well as offering regular site visits, workshops and experience in preparing project proposals for design, planning, costing and development to SoBE multi-disciplinary student teams.
Karen Fairhurst, Project Manager at Morgan Sindall, said: “Morgan Sindall is focused on developing work ready graduates and the partnership with Salford University is a fantastic opportunity to work with and nurture some really talented individuals. We aim to use our projects as a textbook in construction, providing real world examples which will enhance their understanding of the pertinent challenges within our industry.
“In turn Morgan Sindall will benefit from working alongside the enthusiastic and talented people who will undoubtedly play a part in encouraging innovation in the construction world of the future.”
Sam Grogan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience at the University of Salford added: “Producing students who are fully equipped for the demands of the modern workplace is the key aim of the University of Salford.
“The best way to do this is to work as closely as possible with industry to co create and co-deliver flexible, agile outward facing courses and to provide our students with the work experiences that will give them with the skills required. This partnership with Morgan Sindall will do just that for many of our students and it is one I’m very excited about.”
Morgan Sindall currently employs 18 University of Salford alumni in its North West region and has eight staff members currently studying there.
Based on the latest publicly available data, the University of Salford can boast that 92.1% of its UK 1st degree graduates are employed or engaged in further study six months after leaving.
The partnership sits as one initiative within the University of Salford’s Industry Collaboration Zones (ICZs). These innovative zones facilitate students, academics and industry partners to work together on cutting edge industry facing projects and ideas which bring together world leading research and future facing teaching and learning to offer unique opportunities that better prepare students for life after university.
This is part of the University of Salford’s long term vision playing out over the next two decades to link the campus with local industry, culture and residential communities to help drive the local and regional economy.
