Wrexham Glyndwr University joins Northern Powerhouse

Wrexham Glyndwr University has today officially joined the Northern Powerhouse Partners Programme along with three other Welsh organisations.

The Partners Programme is an integral part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda, bringing together different stakeholders to work alongside government and business with the shared aim of increasing productivity and boosting economic growth across the north of Wales and England.

Wrexham Glyndwr University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Maria Hinfelaar said: “We welcome the opportunity to become a Northern Powerhouse Partner to ensure North Wales is on the map as a key area of the North.

“We have a shared ambition with the other members of the Partners Programme to drive the North Wales economy forward and make our region more competitive. We want to build on the existing strengths of the region, such as advanced engineering and composite materials and truly make the North Wales growth vision part of the Northern Powerhouse narrative.

“We are committed to the social and economic development of the region, in fact, the majority of our graduates remain locally upon completion of their studies and work in priority sectors in North Wales, such as advanced manufacturing. We also have key research strengths in these fields and state-of-the-art facilities at Optic. We are therefore well placed to deliver the innovation agenda of the Northern Powerhouse.”

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, said: “The Northern Powerhouse is the UK Government’s ambition to bring together the great cities, towns and rural communities of the north of England and Wales to drive economic growth, by creating high-value local jobs, modern transport links, and increased investment.

“I’m proud to welcome our four new partners in north Wales – Wrexham Glyndwr University, Zip World, Wrexham Mineral Cables and Coleg Cambria– who share our vision and highlight the diverse range of organisations taking part in the Northern Powerhouse Partners Programme. By working more closely together we can ensure that our economic ambitions are realised in north Wales and across the whole of the Northern Powerhouse.”

Through the North Wales Growth Deal, the UK Government is working alongside the Welsh Government and local authorities to drive economic growth and new opportunities across the North Wales region. Both governments have committed a total of £240million to coordinate new investment and policy interventions to drive growth in key areas