by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Business has welcomed a new university faculty that aims to raise workforce skills and knowledge.

Canterbury Christ Church University unveiled its Faculty of Business and Management at a VIP ceremony on Thursday.

Business leaders joined civic chiefs to find out what the new facility can offer students and enterprises.

Paul Barrett, chairman of Canterbury 4 Business, which represents private and public sector organizations, told more than 100 guests the new facility would draw university and business community closer together.

He called on local firms to tell faculty staff what skills they needed. He said: "We need to be clear about the skills we want our workforce to have. We need to provide increased opportunities for workplace learning and engage with our universities to ensure their offer meets our business needs."

Italy-born dean Dr Gioia Pescetto (pictured above left) said the faculty would make a difference to business and the community. "I believe that through your collaboration and support, its greater contributions are yet to come," she told guests.

Allan Willett, Lord Lieutenant of Kent and an honorary fellow of the university, hailed "another great leap forward in the university’s development", adding: "I applaud and thank you for what you are doing for business - and the knowledge-based economy - in this region and county."

Professor Michael Wright, vice chancellor, said the faculty brought together all the university’s business and management elements. Universities could play a key role the county’s economy.

"Small and medium enterprises are the bedrock of the Kent economy and look to places such as this to engage with on an easy friendly basis," he said. They should not be afraid to work with the university. “We’re not too daunting," he added.