UCL to tackle credit crunch with free training and consultancy

UCL has unveiled a radical, £3.8million package of activity designed to prepare UCL students for entry into an unprecedentedly difficult employment market, and to support London businesses during the economic downturn. A number of measures have been devised to provide extensive support to students graduating this summer, including a £1,000 discount on taught Masters fees for those who wish to continue their studies at UCL. Further strands of activity have been designed to facilitate access for London's small businesses to UCL's world-class problem-solving expertise, and to professional training provided by the university to enhance the skills and career prospects of people already in employment. The first part of the package follows a successful bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England's 'Economic Challenge Investment Fund'. UCL has today received £500,000 from this fund, which it will boost with a further £2million from a combination of its own income, Capital Enterprise (the membership body for deliverers of enterprise support in London), biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and other sources. The total £2.5million represents the largest financial commitment on the part of all universities receiving funding from the ECIF to this kind of activity.