It is my great privilege to welcome you to the GradEX Degree Show. This is happening this year at the same time as the City of Stoke-on-Trent is celebrating its 100 centenary. Strength, kindness and creativity have been the central pillars of our institution over the last century and these provide a ‘united strength is stronger’ link with Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to make a better place for our learners and their skills and employment futures.
I’m delighted to say that GradEX has evolved significantly in recent years by involving final year students from study disciplines across our University – including those based at Staffordshire University London.
The physical exhibition, which takes place at our main Stoke-on-Trent campus in June, attracts many of our industry collaborators, sector leaders and alumni to view the project work and speak to the students about the societal challenges they are seeking to address.
We are eternally grateful to our judges and prize sponsors for their involvement in making GradEX so meaningful to our students who are awaiting their results and preparing to take their next steps on the career ladder.
The exhibition inevitably leads to an impressive number of graduate job offers and excellent feedback on the quality of student work.
GradEX has also expanded its reach through an innovative online portal which is available to view throughout the summer and which last year attracted more than 78,000 page views from 70 different countries across the globe. Our portal, which includes links to students’ LinkedIn profiles, portfolios, and CVs, is actively shared with employers and industry partners.
Finally, I’d like to thank our participating students for their leading role in making the GradEX Degree Show the incredible success that it is, and to wish them well for the future.
Best wishes,
Professor Martin Jones
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive
