Work gets under way at Wolverhampton University's Walsall campus after funding boost

The Office for Students (OfS) awarded £432m in capital funding to support investment in new buildings, facilities and equipment for universities and colleges across England earlier this year including £6m for Wolverhampton.

The refurbishment project – which started in July – will overhaul existing facilities in the university’s Jerome K Jerome and Sister Dora buildings at the Gorway based campus, creating a revitalised performance gym and a suite of learning spaces and facilities.

Birmingham-based contractor, Seddon Construction and Glancy Nicholls Architects are working with the University Estates Capital Department supported by project management companies, Faithful+Gould and EDGE on the refurbishment which started in July.

Refurbishment work carried out will create a suite of modern, multidisciplinary facilities in the university’s School of Allied Health and Midwifery (SAH) and the School of Sport (SoS) providing state of the art skills-based teaching facilities in sport and physical activity.

Students studying for a variety of undergraduate and master’s degrees at Walsall Campus, including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry , Exercise Science, Football Coaching and Performance and Strength and Conditioning, will benefit from the investment.

Professor Alex Forsythe, dean of the faculty of education, health and wellbeing at the University, said: “Demand for our degree courses is high but our current facilities limit student numbers which is why securing this incredible amount of funding is an amazing achievement for the faculty.

“These refurbishments will enable us to increase student numbers on existing courses and expand our provision to Dietetics and Clinical Exercise Physiology, with the intention of enrolling many more students across these courses in the coming years.

“The advanced equipment, learning spaces and facilities will provide an unmatched experience for our students, inspiring, challenging, connecting and engendering a passion for learning to boost their employability, grow student numbers to better meet demand and address the skills needs of our local communities.

“In response to regional demand, this project will allow us to create a space that will enable us to not only increase the number of specialists trained to support the employer demand in the local areas, but to ensure our courses are industry relevant and enhance the employability and skills of our students.”

In June 2019, the University made a commitment to a 10-year partnership with Sandwell Council and Sandwell Leisure Trust for the provision of swimming facilities for students including the use of a state-of-the-art Olympic swimming pool and diving facilities.

The refurbishment project is due to be completed in the autumn of 2023.