UWS and Bankstown City Council formalise their partnership

Bankstown City Council General Manager, Matthew Stewart, and UWS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barney Glover

Students at University of Western Sydney now have an opportunity to gain real life work experience under a new partnership with Bankstown City Council.

The new agreement follows the official signing of the partnership between the two organisations after working together informally on previous occasions.

One of the first projects to roll out of the partnership involves students from the Graduate School of Management assisting Council's Bankstown Business Advisory Services (BBAS) in researching the local food services industry.  

The project will assist in:

• Establishing links between the different food businesses in this sector
• Creating a network where like-minded businesses can share ideas
• Identifying opportunities for local food businesses to tap into the export market
• Helping businesses access services provide by BBAS to support local businesses

UWS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barney Glover, says the strategic partnership will help support the economic, cultural and social development of the City of Bankstown and the broader Greater Western Sydney region.

"UWS has had a long-standing, productive relationship with Bankstown City Council," says Professor Glover.

"Today's partnership announcement will see our two organisations work even more closely on initiatives that will have a positive impact not only on our teaching and research, but the broader community."

"The partnership will involve collaboration across a variety of areas, but with a particular focus on promoting local business and industry, and creating new opportunities for knowledge-based employment for Bankstown and the Greater Western Sydney region."

The Mayor of Bankstown, Khal Asfour, said the project enables students to gain real life experience with real outcomes.

"Our students are the winners of this partnership," says Mayor Asfour.

"This project is not just an exercise for students to participate in. They will actually be out in the field talking to real clients and coming up with real strategies that will benefit Council and our local business community."  

Mayor Asfour says Council ran a similar project with UWS students previously involving the local manufacturing sector that led to the creation of annual networking events.

"We know this formula works, so we're excited about working with students to foster their ideas," he says.

Ends

21 August 2014

Amanda Whibley, UWS Media Manager