Further to our Celebration and Networking event in July of this year, I am delighted to let you know that not only is Chester Business School (CBS) the Educate North Business School of the Year 2024 but on the 28th November we were also named the Times Higher Business School of the Year.
We earned this prestigious award for our action in relation to helping to support a high-growth, low-carbon economy and nurturing future talent for the NHS. The School participated in three major industrial decarbonisation projects seeking to reshape Cheshire's manufacturing economy, which produces more than a quarter of the north-west's total carbon output and supports 73,000 jobs. This culminated in the launch of a study on the skills needed for the industrial decarbonisation supply chain, which has influenced national government thinking in this space.
CBS also designed and manages the UK's definitive healthcare practice placement tool, funded by Health Education England, which engaged more than 90,000 university users in 2022-23 - a record high - plus more than 160,000 NHS and healthcare professionals.
Throughout the year, CBS completed the delivery of funded projects with small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worth £34.7 million, supporting 1,632 SMEs, 62 budding entrepreneurs and 131 pre-start-up businesses. This helped create more than 900 projects for students.
Judges commended Chester for "its focus on its net zero ambitions through collaboration on three large-scale industrial decarbonisation challenges in the north-west and also for its work with Health Education England, which involved engagement with the largest cohort of future healthcare professionals to realise efficiencies in the development of skills and practice development for the NHS”.