University College Birmingham (UCB) has unveiled a £15m hospitality investment program that would see it acquire and operate a portfolio of commercial hospitality venues across Birmingham, giving students paid work, placements and hands-on training in live industry settings.
The investment begins with the acquisition of the former The Cube Hotel and Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill Birmingham, which will be redeveloped into a 52-bedroom hotel and restaurant to be operated as commercial businesses. Redevelopment work is expected to begin over the next three to four months.
The acquisition marks the first phase of a wider expansion strategy that will see UCB grow its portfolio of hospitality venues across the city. Alongside the new hotel and restaurant, the university is also aiming to open a neighbourhood restaurant in Harborne, launch a café, restaurant and bar at its Summer Row campus, and refurbish the existing Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food.
Collectively, the new venues are expected to create more than 150 hospitality jobs while offering students paid employment, apprenticeships, placements and practical learning opportunities alongside experienced hospitality professionals.
UCB said students studying hospitality, culinary arts, business and events management would gain experience working with paying customers while developing practical and operational skills required by employers, with the commercial venues designed to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and the realities of the hospitality sector.
This is an investment not only in our students, but in the future of Birmingham
Michael Harkin, University College Birmingham
The investment comes as graduate employability continues to rise up the agenda across UK higher education, with universities expanding employer partnerships, industry placements and other work-integrated learning initiatives in response to growing demand from students for stronger employment outcomes.
Earlier this year, speakers at The PIE Live Europe warned institutions needed to move beyond the “theatre of employability” and deliver meaningful work experience and career outcomes.
Jasminder Khanna, co-founder and CEO of Gresham Global, which supports UCB with student recruitment operations in India and South Asia, said prospective students were placing greater emphasis on institutions that offered practical industry experience alongside academic programs.
“For students, particularly those pursuing hospitality, tourism, culinary arts and business programs, this latest addition reinforces the university’s commitment to learning through real-world experience,” he told The PIE News.
Michael Harkin, vice-chancellor and principal of UCB described the investment as “the beginning of an exciting new chapter” for the institution.
“By creating a collection of high-quality hospitality venues across the city, we are giving our students access to real-world, commercial environments where they can develop the skills, confidence and experience that employers are looking for,” he said.
Harkin said the programme would also strengthen Birmingham’s hospitality sector by creating new jobs, attracting experienced professionals and supporting the city’s reputation as a destination for hospitality and tourism, calling it “an investment not only in our students, but in the future of Birmingham”.
According to the university, more than £300m has been invested across its campuses and surrounding communities over the past five years. Recruitment has already begun for hospitality professionals to lead the new venues, with UCB also hoping to attract alumni back into operational and training roles to help develop the next generation of graduates.
Commercial director David Cumberlidge said the expansion built on the university’s longstanding hospitality heritage.
“UCB has an outstanding heritage; the College of Food, part of our Business School, has trained many Michelin-starred chefs as well as countless hospitality leaders who have gone on to successful careers in Birmingham, the UK and around the world,” he said.
“We’re proud that these new venues will also provide opportunities for many of our alumni to return, bringing their expertise back into the classroom and workplace to inspire and develop the next generation.”
