December 2024
Blog | Top 10 news stories of 2024
By Melanie Hall
Share post:Read time: approx 7 mins
It's been another jam-packed year at University College Birmingham. Our students and staff have been busy winning awards, launching community initiatives, working with experts, you name it, while our graduates have been out making their mark on the world. Let's take a look at some of the best news stories of 2024. Enjoy our countdown!
Our first Nursing Associate apprentices celebrate
10. Ready to support
Last summer, our very first group of Nursing Associate foundation degree apprentices finished their course, celebrating alongside employer partners and lecturers.
The apprenticeship was introduced in the healthcare and care workforce to boost the capacity of the nursing workforce and bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and graduate nurses. This is essential in addressing the NHS's commitment to having 22% of all clinical staff trained through apprenticeships by 2031/32. We're proud to play our part.
Rosa is a tour de force in engineering
9. Rosa makes Top 100
Rosa Wells, our Dean for STEM, is a tour de force and in June, she made the Women's Engineering Society's Top 100 list of Women in Engineering.
Rosa started her career in aerospace engineering at 18 years old and was supported by her company to gain an MEng. In 2005, she moved into engineering education, empowering young minds to gain the skills needed for a rich and rewarding career in STEM. Since starting at the University, she has been an inspiration to all our budding engineers.
Rosie makes rallying call to construction industry
8. Rosie's rallying call
Bakery alumna Rosie Ginday MBE founded social enterprise Miss Macaroon with only £500 and the use of the University's kitchens, but her business blossomed, supplying sweet treats to restaurants and high-end retailers such as Selfridge's.
Providing job opportunities for young people with complex needs, Rosie this year went one further, calling for construction leaders to engage more with young people and communities to ensure they deliver greater social value in the West Midlands. A real advocate for building better futures.
Paulina set her sights firmly on success
7. Paulina blazes a trail
Juggling a newborn and starting a new business all while completing her dissertation, aesthetics graduate Paulina Marmaite faced several challenges throughout her journey as an entrepreneur – but she never let them sway her.
This story explores how Paulina started SatinSkin Aesthetic Clinic in a very small space after graduating and grew it into a four-treatment room facility. In her own words, "there are no limits or stops in life, only you can create barriers."
Positive thinking as we step into 2025...
Graduate Daniel is a rising star in hospitality
6. Daniel in 30 under 30
Hospitality graduate Daniel was hailed one of 30 of the industry’s top rising stars under the age of 30 at the Acorn Awards, an award previously won by the likes of Gordon Ramsay. The 28-year-old general manager at a Michelin-starred restaurant was on a winning streak too, also being recognised in the Harpers Wine & Spirit 30 Under 30.
It's wonderful to have helped shape Daniel's career, including supporting him with industry placements in Spain and France and work at Chester Races and Manchester United FC.
Shania gets ready to dazzle on Glow Up
5. Shania wins Glow Up
Watching Shania work her magic on BBC's Glow Up – Britain’s Next Make-Up Star was something else, making her lecturers super proud. When the former prosthetics student went and won the whole thing, it was mind-blowing!
What made it especially poignant was that Shania drew on her struggles with mental health and how she had started experimenting with make-up as a teenager because she was self-conscious about her hyperpigmentation. If you get a chance, check out her creations on Instagram (shania_parris).
We hosted SUSTAIN'S best practice event
4. Sustainable growth
After an exciting and rewarding year of progress, we remain committed to building a future aligned with net-zero goals and the development of a greener and more sustainable community for all of our staff and students.
As part of this, we welcomed a new Innovation Practitioner with expertise in green building and hosted SUSTAIN's first Midlands Sustainability UnConference, a platform for sharing best practice and successes, collaboratively problem solving on issues of sustainability, and addressing challenges across the sectors. So much more to come in 2025!
Oliver, Mikayla and Matteo prepare for Zest Quest Asia
3. Friends for life
It's one thing cooking in a training kitchen, but to create a feast of global cuisine against the clock at a national live competition requires nerves of steel. But that's what Culinary Arts Management students Oliver, Mikayla and Matteo did at Zest Quest Asia, preparing for 200 hours over 40 practice runs.
What we love about this story is that the trio not only devised a thought-provoking menu around the cost of living crisis crippling many Asian countries - and won an incredible overseas trip by producing the least waste of all the competitors - they became friends for life.
David documents his journey for Pride month
2. Full of Pride
Health and social care graduate David's blog for Pride month had a huge impact on our LGBTQ+ community. He recalls his concerns about whether he would be accepted for who he was while at university, whether he would feel welcome, whether there would be support, should he need it.
We loved hearing his positivity and hope his words provide reassurance to students. We'll leave you with his top advice. "Love yourself. There's one of you in this world, and having you here makes it a much happier, more colourful place."
1. £27k to support life-limited children
This autumn, we saw two iconic Brummie chefs work with first year Culinary Arts Management students to create an unforgettable six-course charity dinner for 90 VIP guests.
Alumnus Dan Lee, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2021, teamed up with Alex Claridge, head chef and owner of The Wilderness in Birmingham - who featured on the Great British Menu - to bring the event to life. Their efforts only went and raised £27,000 for Acorns Children's Hospice, providing support to life-limited children and their families.
We hope you enjoyed our countdown of the best news stories of 2024. And don't forget to get in touch if you are a current student or alumni and have a story of your own. Here's to 2025!
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