The Marches Centre of Excellence for Health, Allied Health and Social Care

The Marches Centre of Excellence for Health, Allied Health and Social Care opened at the Telford Campus in April 2021, welcoming its first cohorts of Mental Health Nursing and Paramedic Science students. A cohort of Adult Nursing students also joined the 1^st and 2^nd years already studying at the Telford Campus. The Centre has been funded by a Growth Deal from the Marches LEP and was officially launched on 20^th May. Watch the official opening here.

The University has been working hard over the past months to develop and grow our provision in line with industry demand and aligned to the trajectory of the industrial strategy with an emphasis on skills and entrepreneurship rebuilding.

Our Mission

To provide a Centre of Excellence for Allied Health, Social Work and Care and Health Professions through the recruitment of new learners from the region and retaining them with local employers to support economic prosperity.

How will the project unlock Marches SEP growth objectives?

This project is working with service providers within the Health and Health Care sectors of the Marches region, which is both an emerging and enabling sector due to the 41,000 people employed in this economy. The Marches region has an ageing population and large rural areas, which we believe, provide unique challenges to the health and social care and emergency services as opposed to those operating in mostly urban areas. We are utilising virtual/augmented reality to immerse learners in controlled real-life situations and provide them with the tools, techniques and technological training to pioneer new innovative health and social care approaches and technologies. 

Skills and learner retention are important areas for the region and the Marches Economic review 2019 shows that there are significant issues with learner retention compared to the national average in the following areas: 

• The amount of young people who stay in the area for both study and employment (4.1% vs 29.3%). 
• The average percentage of people leaving to study but returning for employment (39.6% vs 30.4%).
• Student retention rate, (55.2% of young people leave for study and do not return compared to 34.3% nationally).
• Over half (56.4%) of students leave the Marches after graduating compared to 40.3% nationally.

Partnership Working and the role of University Centre Telford

University Centre Telford has played a key role in raising awareness of the Marches Centre in Telford through its partnerships with stakeholders, brokerage of meetings with staff from Telford and Wrekin Council, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH), its schools and colleges liaison work and its community links.

The new Centre creates so many exciting opportunities for people in Telford and the wider Marches area and is another example of the University’s role as an anchor institution in its area.

New courses on offer at the Marches Centre of Excellence at the Telford Campus

Undergraduate Degree courses

New courses starting in September 2021 include the BA Social Care, BA Social Care with Foundation Year, BA Social Care and Housing, BA Community Development and Youth Work, BA Community Development and Youth Work with Foundation Year

BSc Professional Practice in Healthcare

Postgraduate courses

MSc/PGDip/PG Cert Professional Practice – for qualified healthcare professionals

Teaching and Learning

Leadership and Management

Speciality Practice

Research and Enterprise

Advanced Clinical Practice

Masters in Social Work and Social Care

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Social Care

First contact practitioner for MSK and Paramedic – 40 credit CPD course at Level 6 & 7

Emergency Planning and Resilience CPD – any time

For further information about the courses on offer at the Marches Centre of Excellence, please visit: