In 2018 Nottingham Trent University began working in partnership with local stakeholders to celebrate, promote and grow everything that Ashfield and Mansfield have to offer.
Working together with the Make it in Mansfield and Discover Ashfield place boards, we have made great strides forward, collaborated on exciting projects, and seen life-changing investment.
We’ve seen changes to educational outcomes, new businesses emerge and prosper, and a wealth of community success stories.
And that’s just the beginning.
These are exciting times for the region and there’s even more potential waiting to be unlocked. We’re committed to a programme of collaboration with partners across Mansfield and Ashfield that delivers sustainable growth and spans economic, social, cultural, educational and health outcomes.
But we must also recognise how far we’ve come together.
Here you’ll find stories told by the people of Ashfield and Mansfield, stories about their successes, their ambitions and what it means for them and the places and communities that are important to them.
We can’t wait to see what comes next.
Our activities
In this video, a number of colleagues and peers talk about our activities in Mansfield and Ashfield.
Mansfield and Ashfield place boards
NTU is proud to work in partnership with the Make it in Mansfield and Discover Ashfield place boards - collaborations of local leaders, businesses and other organisations, coming together to raise the profiles of the districts and make them places for people to thrive.
Find out more:
Community
NTU works with communities in Mansfield and Ashfield to pilot new, innovative approaches to tackling local challenges. These approaches are embedded in the local community and are underpinned by collaborative working and co-development. Our work includes legal support and advice for individuals and businesses in the Ashfield and Mansfield area through our in-house teaching law firm NLS Legal, evaluation of Social Prescribing activities with Ashfield Voluntary Action; and the annual European Challenge, which sees students engaging with the district councils to address local issues from visiting European towns and cities with a similar heritage.
More about our community work
Education
NTU is proud to work in partnership with West Nottinghamshire College to deliver integrated FE/HE pathways that meet the current and future skills needs of the area. The range of NTU programmes offered spans technical qualifications, degree programmes and apprenticeships, based at the NTU Mansfield Hub on the college campus. Many students are local learners who go on to apply their skills to their careers in the local area. Other educational support for the region includes the Getting Ready programme, currently in phase 1 development with a primary school in Mansfield. The programme aims to build the life skills and cultural capital of pupils from early years through to GCSEs by empowering parents and communities.
More about our education work
Business and Enterprise
Our relationship with businesses in the area involves offering support, training and guidance to enhance productivity and improve the skills of local residents and employees across Mansfield and Ashfield. Programmes and support delivered by NTU include skills courses, new business coaching, graduate and talent support and research and development collaboration through the Enterprising Ashfield programme; targeted at employers and employees in Sutton-in-Ashfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield. Business growth support via Nottingham Business School’s Help to Grow programme, and engagement with the Dryden Enterprise Centre (DEC) – a space for entrepreneurs, founders, SMEs and start-ups to start, grow and scale their business - are available more broadly, including for businesses in the Ashfield and Mansfield area.
More about our business and enterprise work