UWE’s new £50m Faculty of Business and Law building has come a step closer to completion with a traditional ‘topping-out’ ceremony.
The new state-of-the art building will house Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School and is part of the university’s major campus development plan to build a university for the 21st Century. 
The ceremony was performed by IoD director general Simon Walker – a UWE honorary graduand –and UWE vice-chancellor professor Steve West who secured a golden bolt to a girder on the top floor of the building.
Prof West said the new building – due for completion next January and with panoramic views across Bristol and South Gloucestershire – would open up new links between the university and Bristol’s business community.
It would enable entrepreneurs and innovators to interact with students and the wider community to encourage new products and new ways of working.
Mr Walker said: “UWE Bristol is a great university with impressive international reach. It should be commended for investing in the workforce of the future.
“Access to skills is a major concern for IoD members, as shortages in key areas can prevent businesses from growing. Management, professional, commercial and entrepreneurial skills are vital to this region. UWE’s effort will create strong career opportunities for students and employees alike.”
The new building will ensure that staff, students and businesses have access to world-class facilities and it will enable achievement of the core of the faculty strategy: engagement with the business sector in the region.
Research by the Association of Business Schools and the Chartered Management Institute, shows that UK business schools and businesses, who are key employers of graduates, could benefit from closer working relationships.
Businesses say they want ‘business-ready’ graduates, and key to achieving this are student placements and work experience which are a core part of the vision for the Faculty.
The numbers of UWE business graduates entering professional jobs within six months of graduation has been consistently ahead of the marketplace for business graduates. Official figures show 74% of UWE Bristol graduates entered professional jobs immediately after graduation compared to a national figure of 67%.
Key professional organisations will have a base in the new building enabling barristers, accountants, small business owners and start-ups to mix with staff and students in the learning and social areas. Throughout the building there will be flexible workspaces available for staff, students and visitors to use.
The new building will include two showcase law courts, a city trading room, a 300-seat lecture theatre, two Harvard lecture theatres, a number of smaller teaching spaces, IT suites, flexible social learning spaces, external business engagement space, central social space and café.
