Aston University to become first Adobe Creative Campus in the Midlands

• Aston University will be the first Adobe Creative Campus in the Midlands
• Partnership with Adobe will give students and staff the tools to enhance their digital skills
• Student ambassador programme will help to develop career-enriching skills for the future.

Aston University has announced a strategic partnership with global creative digital technology company Adobe that will give its students the opportunity to enhance their digital capabilities and gain a competitive advantage in their future careers.

The University has joined a select group of forward-looking global universities to become the Midland’s first Adobe Creative Campus, giving all students and staff free access to the entire suite of Adobe Creative Cloud software and continuing its academic tradition of ensuring that its graduates are amongst the best prepared for the modern workplace.

The partnership with Adobe – which benefits staff as well – will see all members of the Aston University community accessing industry-leading digital tools for creating graphics, video, web content and photography, with software such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Illustrator, alongside a range of workflow automation tools, with access to millions of royalty-free stock images and digital resources.

As part of the Creative Campus programme,. Adobe will extend direct support to Aston University, facilitating transformative changes in teaching and learning through technology. This collaboration ensures that every student and staff member can fully harness the capabilities of the Creative Cloud and cultivate robust digital fluency skills.

Additionally, the student ambassador programme will provide opportunities for students to get involved in various activities to promote and support the adoption of Adobe Creative Cloud across the campus while developing marketable, career-enriching skills for their future work.

Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, said:

“Our strategic partnership with Adobe cements Aston University’s commitment to providing its staff and students with the power skills necessary for the future of work. 

“As a technical university focused on technology and innovation and extending the reach of digital technologies, mastering creative expression of technical concepts, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create new applications across disciplines and professions, is a vital skill. 

“As the industries served by our graduates embrace a digital-first approach, we want them to know that they are prepared to support them on that journey.  

“I am also excited to announce that, within our strategic partnership, Aston University and Adobe will establish a student innovation hub on our Birmingham campus.”

In addition, Aston University will use its partnership with Adobe to enhance work-based learning elements within its current curricula. 

Professor Osama Khan, incoming Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at Aston University, said: 

“Three-quarters of Aston University students have work-based learning within their course of studies and we know digital literacy is a vital part of modern work. 

“Our partnership with Adobe allows us to push forward joint activity with leading employers, allowing us far greater scope to connect live projects between campus and commerce and allowing all our students to experience a 21st century work environment unbounded by place. 

“We know that the flexibility offered by our Adobe partnership, and the skills students will now deploy, will encourage robust and profoundly collaborative work with a wide range of employers.”   

Since January this year, Adobe representatives have been working behind the scenes with Aston University to ensure that the best of international best practice was utilised in this deployment. Adobe recognised that Aston University was a unique UK university with much in common with other international creative campuses. 

Mark Andrews, Strategic Development Manager for Higher Education at Adobe, commented: 

“Aston University’s vision and approach to education for all aligns perfectly with Adobe’s mission in education.  As an Adobe Creative Campus all students, staff and members of the Aston community will be able to make the most of our Creative Cloud and Adobe Express technologies in a highly integrated and meaningful way to develop creative skills and digital fluency that will prepare them to thrive in a digital first world.”

Aston University will join the UK Adobe Creative Campus community with Teesside, Solent University, Bath Spa University, Goldsmiths, University of London, Northumbria University and The University of the West of England. Universities as institutions that put digital skills at the forefront of student personal growth. Aston University students will benefit from:

• membership in learning communities to enhance digital collaboration and prepare them for high demand jobs
• their faculty and staff receiving training on the latest digital tools to integrate into curricula and operational workflows, enhancing their learning experience
• a range of enriching learning experiences to foster digital literacy skills and help them achieve milestones in their academic studies.