The vision for ARU Peterborough
ARU Peterborough will help to improve and retain the skills of people in the region, while bringing additional opportunity and prosperity to the area.
The new university will support the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Peterborough City Council vision to deliver a step-change in life chances for people in Peterborough and beyond. It's a partnership between the Mayoral Authority of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Peterborough City Council and Anglia Ruskin University.
The university will be known as ARU Peterborough until it achieves full independence in 2030.
ARU Peterborough will provide a practical solution to the problem of low employment and skills levels across Peterborough. It will aim to boost the skills and employability of students.
It has been created to address a higher education cold spot, widen participation by attracting a diverse student population from non-traditional backgrounds to improve social mobility and to redress the skills gaps within businesses and industries across Peterborough and the rest of the region.
Why does Peterborough need a new university?
Peterborough is in the bottom 10% of the UK's skills levels. It has seen a rapid increase in both population and growth with generally high employment levels across the region. Skills growth has not kept up with the expansion of population or employment and skills. Local businesses are struggling to recruit the staff they need and companies offering high-value jobs have been discouraged from moving in, leading to a decline in the overall prosperity of the city and surrounding areas.
ARU Peterborough will offer an employment-led delivery model to increase skills levels in Peterborough, helping the area build its economic prosperity, benefiting both individuals by increasing employment prospects and employers by enabling the expansion of business.
What ARU Peterborough will do
The new university in Peterborough will play a pivotal role in transforming the city into a regional centre; raise aspirations; and have a transformational effect on the life chances of its students.
The aim of ARU Peterborough is to work with employers as co-creators in developing and delivering the curriculum, which will be led by student and employer demand and include a mix of on-campus face-to-face tuition and off-campus Degree Apprenticeships and work-based learning.
ARU Peterborough will act as a pipeline for the future workforce for the region. It will aim to recruit students from the city and surrounding area, providing opportunities for the region’s promising students including those who may not have considered a university education before.
ARU Peterborough will work closely with partners and employers across the city to secure placements for students, and to ensure graduates have the opportunity to stay in the region after they have completed their studies by linking qualifications to jobs.