News | 6 September 2024
Cardiff Metropolitan University has been shortlisted for two Times Higher Education Awards and named as ‘Welsh University of the Year’ in a national league table this week.
The University has been shortlisted in the ‘Outstanding Entrepreneurial University’ category, while Mark Dabee Saltmarsh - Technician Demonstrator in the School of Education and Social Policy (CSESP) is in the running for the ‘Outstanding Technician of the Year’ award.
Mark Dabee Saltmarsh - Technician Demonstrator in the School of Education and Social Policy
These are the 20th annual THE Awards, which recognise excellence across the UK and Irish university sector. The winners will be announced on 28 November, 2024.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship at Cardiff Met acts as a catalyst for the entrepreneurial journey of students, graduates and colleagues, with many entrepreneurs and business leaders engaged with the university and over a thousand students a year taking part in sessions aimed at helping them spot opportunities and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
A holistic approach to start-up support has placed Cardiff Met in the top 20% of UK universities for student start-ups for the last five years, currently having the sixth highest number of students start-ups which have survived beyond three years. To build on this long-term vision, Cardiff Met introduced an enhanced mentoring package, recruiting 30 near peer, specialist and principal mentors to its Catalyst programme.
Cardiff Met’s teams at Circular Economy Innovation Communities (CEIC) Wales, the Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC) and the Food Industry Centre also provide support to businesses spanning the circular economy, leadership and food development and marketing.
Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Professor Sheldon Hanton, said: “Enterprise and Entrepreneurship are engineered into the DNA of Cardiff Met, with a pipeline of successful innovators and changemakers being built through an entrepreneurial approach to curriculum design, mentoring, staff training and a teaching and learning (enterprise) community.
“We’re delighted this has been recognised in the prestigious THE Awards and look forward to continuing to develop and showcase our culture of Enterprise and Innovation here at Cardiff Met.”
Outstanding Technician of the Year contender, Mark Dabee Saltmarsh, primarily supports the initial teacher education programmes at Cardiff Met.
Transitioning from diverse creative industries to teaching in 2010, he emerged as a skilled technician, with his expertise in traditional and modern design methods equipping teachers and students with essential skills. His proactive and collaborative approach have significantly influenced educational initiatives, promoting STEM education and inclusivity.
Mark is Chair of Cardiff Met’s award-winning Technician Commitment group, which was set up in 2018 to ensure the visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability of all technical staff. He is also the Welsh representative on the UKITSS council, and advocates for technicians’ interests across the UK.
Cardiff Met has also just been revealed as Welsh University of the Year in the Daily Mail University Guide 2025. The accolade celebrates the University’s outstanding reputation for sporting success, but also its success in widening access to Higher Education, with 45% of students the first in their immediate family to go to university.
It also recognises the University’s success in the annual National Student Survey, with Cardiff Met in the top 25 in the UK for student support and in the top 40 for the excellence of teaching and quality of courses and the quality of the student experience.
Professor Rachael Langford, Cardiff Met’s Vice-Chancellor and President, said: “At a challenging time for the higher education sector, it is all the more important to celebrate the real-world, transformative impact of our universities.
“Here at Cardiff Met, we’re committed to a continuous journey of improvement – in student achievement and experience, but also to civic mission and research and innovation that makes a positive impact on our planet and our communities. This recognition in awards and league tables reflects the enormous commitment shown by our staff and our students to achieving these ambitions.”
