Richard Burge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), visited the University of Westminster’s Marylebone Campus to hear about how the University is boosting skills, innovation and entrepreneurship and to say thank you for being a partner to the LCCI’s Black Business Association (BBA) and Asian Business Association (ABA).
LCCI is a hub for the city's business community and the visit provided an opportunity for the University to showcase its students’ and graduates’ employability and entrepreneurship skills, and the ways it works to support local businesses.
The visit also offered an opportunity for the LCCI to thank the University for being a principal partner in the BBA and ABA networks. Over the last year Westminster has been collaborating with LCCI on a variety of events and engagement opportunities to further its aim to improve the prosperity of ethnic minority owned businesses and employees in the capital.
The LCCI visit began with a tour of the Marylebone Campus led by Westminster’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter Bonfield, to hear about Westminster’s excellent industry links and to see the University’s state-of-the-art facilities including the Bloomberg-powered Financial Markets Suite, Fabrication Laboratory and Digital Marketing Lab.
Richard and Professor Bonfield were also joined by Professor Alex Hughes, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Employability and Global Engagement, Professor Malcolm Kirkup, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of Westminster Business School, and Linsey Cole, Director of Business Engagement to visit and discuss a new inclusive Centre for Employability and Enterprise at the 29 Marylebone Road site. The new centre will be home to employability and enterprise support for students, employer engagement activities and will offer a range of high-tech facilities to enhance the student experience. The planning application for the redevelopment of the 29 Marylebone Road building has now been approved with works expected to begin later this year.
Richard was able to then meet and hear from students about their personal and professional development journeys at Westminster, before the visit concluded with a networking lunch with Westminster colleagues.
Speaking about his visit to the University of Westminster, Richard Burge said: “Universities are key to cultivating the next generation of professionals and business leaders, generating a highly skilled workforce that meets the needs of businesses. The University of Westminster is a fantastic example of this, and I was delighted to meet with the Vice-Chancellor and members of his senior team to discuss how they are improving employability and inspiring innovation and entrepreneurship in their students.
“The London Chamber recognises the importance of fostering greater collaboration between universities and businesses. We will continue to engage with the University of Westminster to establish a symbiotic relationship between education and business that enhances competitiveness and fuels economic growth and prosperity.”
Find out more about Westminster’s plans for 29 Marylebone Road, including the option to pledge your support to the project.
Find out more about how Westminster can support your business on our Business Services page.
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