University Academy 92 (UA92), the groundbreaking higher education institution co-founded by the Class of ‘92 and Lancaster University, has been awarded a £2m funding grant by Office for Students, the independent regulator for higher education in England.
The funding has been awarded to support the development of a world leading digital learning academy at the UA92 campus, and is scheduled to open in September.
UA92 is one of only three education institutions in the North West to have received the £2m funding from the body, following a process in which 166 bids were made by higher education institutions across the UK.
Based in Old Trafford, Manchester, UA92 opened in 2019 and aims to make higher education accessible to all, through its founding principles of accessibility, social mobility and inclusivity.
The institution offers a portfolio of degree and higher education courses across business, sport, media and digital disciplines, preparing students for the world of work by offering industry-led courses.
Working in partnership with leading names including Microsoft, TalkTalk, KPMG and Manchester United, students benefit from mentors, guest lectures and work experience opportunities, in addition to character and personal development guidance, and financial support beyond traditional scholarships and government loans.
The new Digital Academy will deliver enhanced and cutting-edge learning and will increase UA92’s student capacity for digital students almost tenfold – from 65 to 634.
The department will include two specialist studios, a robotics laboratory, mobile learning studios and an immersive video environment. Fully accredited computer science degrees, degree apprenticeships and professional body certified short courses will include Dev Ops, Cloud, Linux, data science, cyber security, AR, VR and AI.
Sara Prowse, who joined UA92 as CEO in May 2021, said “This is a fantastic start to the year, and the funding will accelerate the development of our state of the art, world class Digital Learning Academy by three years.
“Our bid for these funds was built in response to demand and in collaboration with key strategic regional and international partners. Together we have identified key digital skills gaps and as a result we are co-creating courses with business and world leading vendors, so we can deliver a career-ready digital workforce of graduates and digitally upskill employees across the region.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham commented: “In Greater Manchester we have strong ambitions to be recognised as a world leading digital city-region. This exciting announcement from UA92 is important in enabling us to achieve this ambition.
“The new UA92 Digital Academy, which is set to be a talent centre of excellence, is an incredible opportunity for our city-region, helping to future-proof our digital talent pipeline and address the existing digital skills shortages ensuring the Greater Manchester digital sector continues to grow and flourish.”
Cllr Andrew Western, Trafford Council Leader and GMCA Lead for Digital, Work and Skills added: “Trafford Council has been a huge supporter of UA92 from its very early days and I am delighted that it has secured this funding.
“A facility like this will make a huge difference towards improving the digital skills we have in Trafford and Greater Manchester. It will support digital learning, enterprise and leadership at UA92 and produce a much-needed pipeline of talent. We see UA92 as an important part of our regeneration plans for the local area and are totally aligned with their vision to make Higher Education accessible to all.”
