The University of Gloucestershire has been shortlisted for two national awards in this year's national Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs).

It follows from last year's success when it won the top award in two THELMA categories - for outstanding financial performance, and for outstanding marketing and communications team.

This year's shortlisting recognises the university's achievements in two areas:

• The Growth Hub at the University's Oxstalls campus has been shortlisted as an outstanding example of employer engagement and services to business.

• The university's innovative new approach to the quality management and enhancement of teaching and learning has been shortlisted as an excellent example of registry services.

Stephen Marston, vice-chancellor of the Gloucester and Cheltenham-based university, said: "The university's core ambitions include providing outstanding teaching and learning for our students, and supporting business growth and economic development in our community.

"So it is fantastic to get this national recognition for our work in both of those key areas."

According to the university since 2014 8,000 businesses have benefitted from the Oxtsall Campus headquartered Growth Hub - which aims to support and help grow businesses, increase productivity and recruit new talent.

The Growth Hub was started in 2014 with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

Three years on, the hub can also lay claim to helping 1,872 University of Gloucestershire graduates take up jobs in the county and create 13,655 work placements and internships.

The independent evaluation report published in January 2018 (available here) surveyed a range of Growth Hub business users and concluded: "There is a strong sense that the Growth Hub is delivering its objectives for business customers. There is a high level of satisfaction with the services delivered by the Growth Hub."

Sarah Danson, The Growth Hub manager, said: "We're delighted that the very real impact that the Growth Hub has on Gloucestershire businesses, day in day out, has been recognised.

"Our unique status, as the only Growth Hub created through a University-LEP partnership, proves that this model can work; bringing academic excellence and commercial acumen together through a truly collaborative approach."

Winners of the THELMA awards will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday June 21 in London.