Escalate Centre opened by Imran Hakim

The Escalate Centre was officially opened on 23 April 2009 with a keynote address from Imran Hakim, winner of BBC's Dragon's Den.

The Escalate Centre is part of the University's flagship employer engagement programme designed to support employers in meeting the workforce development needs of their staff, and the event was attended by over 100 people representing a range of public and voluntary sector employers and local businesses.

The Centre was officially opened by Trevor Higgins, Chair of the Bradford Employment and Skills Board and there were contributions from Jonathan Shipton, Assistant Regional Director of the CBI and Phil Willis MP, Chair of Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee.  Use the link to view Phil Willis' video.

All of the speakers talked about the importance of a highly skilled workforce in order for the country to emerge successfully from the recession, and the role of the University in working with employers to achieve this. Phil Willis described Escalate as an 'exemplar' and key messages from the CBI were that flexibility and communication are central to a successful relationship with the business world.

Use the following link to book the Escalate Centre.

You can view photographs of the Opening Event below.