UCEN Manchester wins at national Whatuni? Student Choice Awards 2021

UCEN Manchester has won the Student Support category in the prestigious Whatuni? Student Choice Awards 2021. 

The student judging panel of the national awards deemed higher education provider, UCEN Manchester, a worthy winner for providing outstanding student support during the pandemic in addition to its existing initiatives.

Now five lucky students will benefit by sharing £10,000 of bursaries which were awarded to UCEN Manchester as part of its win.

The judges said UCEN Manchester had “demonstrated incredible commitment to listening to their students and responding to their needs with a series of appropriate initiatives including financial support for vulnerable students, flexibility around timetables and highly rated one-to-one tuition”.

During the pandemic, students received wide-ranging support to help them navigate the many challenges caused by the pandemic. These initiatives included curriculum and mental health support, practical support for students needing IT assistance or additional financial help, the creation of an online Summer School, and a Covid-safe celebration event for graduates.

This cross-departmental activity aimed to minimise disruption to studies, focus on student wellbeing and mental health, and ensure students did not lose out on their learning experience.

Michael Walsh, Dean of UCEN Manchester, said:

“We’re delighted to have won and to have been awarded £10,000 in student bursaries, which will make a truly lasting difference to the learning experience of five of our students.

“As an institution, we aim to go above and beyond in terms of supporting our students, helping them to ‘believe in different’ and enabling them to achieve no matter what their personal circumstances.

“The pandemic was a truly challenging time for many so I’m thrilled that our student-focused initiatives, which have had a real and positive impact and were delivered by our hard-working UCEN Manchester team, have been recognised by the WUSCA judges.”

Whatuni? is the UK’s largest university course comparison site and uniquely, the nominees and winners of the awards are selected by students themselves, judged by a specially chosen panel made up of prospective and current university students.

Simon Emmett, CEO at IDP Connect, which runs the comparison site, said:

“Each of our winners and finalists have gone above and beyond in support of their students, and the calibre of the nominations we have received show the incredible creativity, resilience and innovation that exists within the higher education sector.”

Michael Walsh, Dean of UCEN Manchester.