candidate pack -...

Candidate Pack

2 CANDIDATE PACK | Cardiff Metropolitan University

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cara Aitchison MA(Hons), PgDRLP, Cert Ed, MA, PhD, FAcSS, FRGS, FHEA

Cardiff Metropolitan is a global university that meetsthe civic, economic and international needs of Wales.Over more than 150 years the University has becomeestablished as a driver of education and socialtransformation and a catalyst for innovation andeconomic growth.

The University’s academic portfolio is orientedtowards practice-focused and professionallyrecognised education and research. Taughtprogrammes align with the University’s research,innovation and enterprise agenda that deliversimpact in art and design, business and management,education and social policy, sport and healthsciences and digital, data and design technologies.

The University’s recent successes are evidenced inits ranking as the highest performing modernuniversity for research quality in REF 2014, the awardof the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovation in2015, the achievement of 96% employability in the2016 Destination of Leavers in Higher Educationsurvey, its placing as 1st in Wales and 4th in the UK inthe 2016 People and Planet League, accreditation in2017 as the only university in Wales to be awardedthe Small Business Charter and the Social EnterpriseMark and, most recently, a rise of five places in theComplete University Guide 2018 and four places inThe Guardian University League Table 2018.

Our new Strategic Plan 2017/18 - 2022/23 builds onthese improvements and signals a 'step change' forthe University by outlining a programme of sevenpriorities:

Establishment of a values-driven University thatchampions creativity, diversity, freedom andinnovation to generate educationaltransformation, research with impact, sustainableeconomic growth, social cohesion and healthand wellbeing.

Improvement in the quality and outcomes ofteaching and the wider student experience todevelop Ethical, Digital, Global andEntrepreneurial skills, experience, knowledge,confidence and resilience.

Diversification to establish a new Cardiff Schoolof Technologies.

Development of ‘Global Academies’ to deliverinterdisciplinary, international and impactfulpostgraduate and research provision and ‘CardiffOpen Colleges’ to deliver progression routes intothe University.

Managed growth in all of the University's Schools.

Enhancement of the University’s research andinnovation activities, involving significant growthin the volume, quality, value and impact ofresearch and innovation.

Development of synergy between on-campusand off-campus provision.

Cardiff Metropolitan is a great University with astrong ethical core and an appetite for development.If you believe that you can help to deliver our ‘stepchange’, then I would welcome hearing from you.

I am delighted you have expressed interest in Cardiff MetropolitanUniversity at this pivotal moment in the University’s development.

CANDIDATE PACK | Cardiff Metropolitan University 3


Cardiff Metropolitan is a thriving global Universityfounded in 1865 and with a rich and establishedhistory in a vibrant European capital city. With anacademic portfolio oriented towards practice-focused and professionally recognised educationand research, the University offers over 200 courses with a strong focus on employability and teaching excellence.

The University has almost 20,000 students enrolled on programmes located in Cardiff and at collaborative partners across the globe. Ourstudents come from over 140 countries and we aredeeply committed to developing global citizens ofall our students. The University has significantstrengths in delivering international student and staffmobility programmes and the undergraduatecurriculum and wider student experience is currentlybeing developed to embrace global mobilityopportunities alongside employability initiatives.

Our new Strategic Plan, approved by the Board ofGovernors in the spring of 2017, envisages a strongoffer to students that will enable them to developknowledge, skills and experience as ethical, global,digital and entrepreneurial graduates.

Our teaching is underpinned by our research andinnovation and in the most recent REF exercise theUniversity was ranked as the highest modernuniversity for research quality.

Our vision is to be a top 50 UK university. We willdo this by building on the ambitions outlined inour 2012-2017 strategic plan which stated that theUniversity would be renowned for:

High-quality, student-centred provision andinternationally relevant curricula that promotestudent employability and personal success

Knowledge transfer/knowledge exploitationexcellence, underpinned by a strong ethos ofresearch and entrepreneurship

The creativity of its staff, students and graduates The excellence of its academic schools, each

of which will be eminent in its field

About the UniversityOur mission is:

To provide student-centred learningopportunities that are accessible, flexible,inclusive, lifelong and of the highest quality

To provide a culture within which appliedresearch and enterprise will flourish

To develop established and new centres ofexcellence in professional education, appliedresearch and knowledge transfer

To provide services meeting the needs of Walesand wider communities by working inpartnership with city, national and

international bodies.

The University is based on two campuses in thenorth-west and north-east of the City of Cardiff. TheLlandaff Campus, located in the north-west andnestled between Llandaff Cathedral and the RiverTaff, is home to the Cardiff School of Art and Designand the Cardiff School of Management, both of whichare housed in new purpose built and award-winningbuildings. In addition to a wide range of learning,teaching and student support services the LlandaffCampus also houses an Art Gallery and the NationalCentre for Product Design & Development Research(PDR). The Llandaff Campus is also home to a rangeof health sciences provision including specialistlaboratories, a Podiatry Centre and a SpeechLanguage Therapy Centre.

The Cyncoed Campus in the north-east of the Cityhas international standard sports facilities and hasbeen home to the Cardiff School of Sport and theCardiff School of Education and Social Policy. As partof the 2017/18 – 2021/22 Strategic Plan theUniversity is developing a new MasterPlan for theestate and is investing in a merged School of Sportand Health Sciences which will, over time, be locatedon the Cyncoed Campus. More than £50m hasrecently been invested in enhanced student andresearch facilities at Cyncoed and a new sports halland outdoor athletics arena to further ourinternational reputation in this area. The next phaseof development which will begin in summer 2018 willinclude a new swimming pool and new studentresidential accommodation to develop a world-leading campus for the Cardiff School of Sport andHealth Sciences.


The University has just established the Cardiff Schoolof Technologies and has plans to locate the Schoolon a waterfront City Centre campus next to CardiffCentral Station from 2021. Focused on studentdemand and employer need in Digital Media andSmart Technology, Data Science and Informatics andDesign Technology and Engineering, the School waslaunched at the Senned in March 2018. Plans are

also progressing to relocate the Cardiff School ofEducation and Social Policy from the CyncoedCampus to the City Centre Campus to be co-locatedwith the Cardiff School of Technologies.

Download our Strategic Plan Summary 2017/18 - 2022/23 here.

http://campaigns.cardiffmet.ac.uk/documents/hr/3Page-Strategic-Plan.pdf

Executive &organisational structure

Board of Governors

University Secretary

& Clerk to the Board of Governors

President & Vice-Chancellor

PVC & ExecutiveDean of School of

Sport & HealthSciences

Pro Vice-ChancellorInternational

Cyncoed Campus & University Sport,Health & Wellbeing

Provision

Director ofInternational

Office

Director ofInnovation

Pro Vice-ChancellorResearch

& Innovation

Director of Research &

Graduate Studies

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Academic

Director of Human Resources

Dean of School of Art & Design

Dean of School of Education

& Social Policy

Dean of School of Management

Dean of School of Technologies

University Registrar& Director of

Planning

Director ofMarketing &

External Relations

Director of Estates& Facilities

Director of Finance

Director of Learning

Enhancement

Pro Vice-ChancellorStudent

Engagement

Director of Library & Information

Services

Director of Student Services

Approved by the Board of Governors in April 2017for full implementation by 2017/18.

Level 1: Vice-Chancellor & Chair of Vice-Chancellor’s ExecutiveGroup, Management Board and Academic Board

Level 2: Members of Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group,Management Board and Academic Board

Level 3: Members of Management Board & Academic Board

Level 3: Members of Management Board

Level 3: Members of Academic Board (Academic Board alsoincludes members of staff in addition to Levels 1-3)



Cardiff School of Art & Design The School is home to 1,200 students, united

by ambition and a true passion for creativeenquiry. They are makers and thinkers in thefields of fine art, design, architecture and arange of craft practices. The School hasworkshops and studios that ensure studentscan operate as professionals from the momentthey start their studies.

Cardiff School of Education & Social Policy The School has been delivering Initial Teacher

Education provision for over 60 years and isrecognised as being amongst the largestcentres of teacher education and training in theUK. The Department of Humanities and theDepartment of Professional Development haveexcellent recruitment figures, plus anincreasing national and internationalreputation for excellence.

Cardiff School of Sport & Health Sciences The Cardiff School of Sport and the Cardiff

School of Health Sciences merged 2017 to formthe Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences.The new School will be located on the CyncoedCampus which is currently being developed tooffer a state-of-the-art campus solely devotedto sport and health sciences. The currentSchool of Health Sciences comprisesbiomedical sciences, health sciences, foodsciences, psychology, podiatry, dentaltechnology and public health. The School isalso home to the world-leading Food IndustryCentre which has just been awarded an £11mgrant from Welsh Government to ensurefurther innovation and investment in this vitalsector of the Welsh economy.

The current Cardiff School of Sport hasestablished an international reputation for thequality of its learning and teaching, researchand innovation and has strengths across therange of sport and exercise disciplines: theUniversity’s REF 2014 submission to Sport andExercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism wasranked equal 7th overall in the Times HigherEducation listings. The new School of Sport andHealth Sciences will continue to develop itscurrent expertise, including its world-renownedCentre for Performance Analysis, whilst alsodeveloping new synergies between sport andhealth, including an expansion of its sport andexercise medicine provision.

The University has an established record inelite sport and this will be strengthened with

further investment in facilities, coaching,strength and conditioning and performanceanalysis. The Cyncoed Campus makes a majorcivic contribution to sport by opening its doorsto over 2,500 young people every week whoparticipate in sport programmes offered by theUniversity and our partners.

Cardiff School of Management Based in a spectacular new building, including

a Bloomberg Trading Suite, the school offers awide range of programmes carefully designedto help students become highly attractive toemployers. Cardiff School of Management haseducated some 4,500 students from aroundthe world, including many on its flagship MBAand MSc programmes.

Cardiff School of Technologies The new Cardiff School of Technologies is

based on the Llandaff Campus but will move toa purpose-built campus in the City Centre from2020/21. This new School will build on itsexisting Computer Science offerings, focussingon Digital Media, Smart Technology, DataScience and Informatics and TechnologyDesign. Over 20 organisations have endorsedthe new School including Sony, the BBC, Officefor National Statistics and a wide range ofdigital and technology companies and collegesin the Cardiff Capital Region, who will work inpartnership with the University to develop anddeliver applied programmes.

Centres of Excellence Cardiff Metropolitan University has centres ofexcellence in each of its Schools and with a sharedfocus on design and performance to maximisehuman potential and economic growth.

The National Centre for Product Design andPerformance (PDR) is one of the UK’s leading designcentres and works with over 300 manufacturing andtechnology companies. It is particularlyaccomplished in the development of medicaltechnology and surgical implants and, in 2015, wasrecognised with the award of a Queen’s AnniversaryPrize for its use of 3D digital scanning technologiesin maxillofacial reconstructive surgery.

The Perception Experience Lab and the FAB Lab,accredited by Massachusetts Institute of Technology,along with other innovations in visual perceptiontechnology, have established a cluster of world-leading expertise that enhance the University’sresearch and innovation in design and humanperformance.

The five Academic Schools are the core business and drivers of Cardiff Metropolitan University. Between them they offer over 100 different academic and professional programmes.


Working in partnership with our students andstakeholders, locally, nationally and globally is ahallmark of Cardiff Metropolitan University.

The University is committed to developing civic andglobal citizens of its students and currently hasstudents from more than 140 countries studying forawards. Global mobility is a key component ofCardiff Met’s ethos and students and staff can studyat over 1,000 universities around the world, withfunding for mobility programmes supported by theUniversity and its partners and by SantanderScholarships and, at present, the EuropeanCommission.

Cardiff Metropolitan is one of the UK’s mostinternationalised universities with partnershipsaround the globe. Many of the University’s degreesoffered in Cardiff are also run through its partneruniversities. Cardiff-based students can study part oftheir degree at a partner university and students onCardiff Met degrees at our partner institutions canopt to study part of their programme in Cardiff. Ourcurrent partners are in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria,China, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Hong Kong, India,Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Singaporeand Sri Lanka.

Within Wales, the University has extensivepartnerships with industry, government and the thirdsector and has been instrumental in thedevelopment of many aspects of economic andeducation policy and practice, including the recentdevelopment of the Digital Competence Frameworkfor schools in Wales.

Within the City of Cardiff, a joint venture agreementwith Cardiff Council, has seen Cardiff Met Sportassume responsibility for the delivery of SportDevelopment for the City, strengthening theUniversity’s relationship with key stakeholders suchas Sport Wales and Cardiff City FC and providingopportunities for students to gain experience.

The University is committed to playing a key role asa catalyst for economic growth and a driver ofeducational and social transformation. It offers awide range of outreach programmes with schoolsand colleges and events and lectures open to thepublic. The University is a key partner in the proposalfor the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal with industryand with Cardiff University, the University of SouthWales and 10 local authorities in south-east Wales.

Our global reach &partnerships

Modern University forBusiness & ScienceLebanon

Applied ScienceUniversityBahrain

Planet EDUIndia

University of BolognaItaly University of Tirana

Albania

City Unity CollegeGreece & Cyprus

Hong Kong UniversityHong Kong

Perrotis CollegeGreece

Ain ShamsUniversity

Egypt

Alexandria UniversityEgypt

University of KeralaIndia

The University of JordanJordanAssociation of Arab UniversitiesJordan

East Asia Institute of ManagementSingapore

Beacon International CollegeSingapore

Dimensions International CollegeSingapore

International College of Business & TechnologySri Lanka

Cardi� Metropolitan UniversityCardi�, UK

Varna University of ManagementBulgaria

Universityof Bari

Italy

Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport

Egypt

Superior Institutions of Science & Technology

Morocco

Cadi Ayyad UniversityMorocco

University of SalamancaSpain

Indian Institute ofTechnology, Bombay

India

University of Santiago de CompostelaSpain

University of SfaxTunisia

Al-FarabiKazakhNationalUniversityKazakhstan

University of MontenegroMontenegro

Gulf CollegeOman

InternationalLeadershipInstitute Ethiopia

Sapienza University of RomeItaly

Da�odil GroupBangladesh & Malaysia

Renmin University of ChinaChina

Cardi� Met China O�ceChina

Cardi� Met IndiaO�ce

Cardi� Met Nigeria O�ceNigeria

Cardi� Met Vietnam O�ceVietnam

Cardi� MetThailand O�ceBangkokUniversal

BusinessSchoolIndia


Transnational Education

Global Partners

Cardiff Met Overseas Offices

Our global reach...


The student experience is at the heart of ourinstitution. We give our students the opportunityto realise their potential, providing them with theknowledge, skills and experience they need tosecure their chosen careers. We constantly striveto improve and enhance our students’ experience,both by investing in staff and facilities and byrefining and improving our operations in responseto student feedback.

Our students

61% Undergraduate

2% Research

37% Taught Postgraduate

Cardiff andSouth Wales

based students(2015/16)

10,256

London & Overseas-based

students(2015/16)

9,636

Total Students

19,892

Total Students

19,892

National Student Survey and Teaching Excellence Framework)*

In the National Student Satisfaction Survey2016-17, 84% of our students said they were

satisfied overall and at least one programmein each of the five Schools achieved a score

of 100% overall satisfaction. In the 2017Teaching Excellence Framework the

University achieved a Silver Award. A keyfocus of the 2017/18 – 2021/22 Strategic

Plan is the further improvement of studentengagement and the wider student

experience and the post of PVC StudentEngagement was created in 2017 specifically

to drive this area forward from the highestexecutive level.

Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education survey

96% of our graduates secured employmentor entered further study within six monthsof graduation, according to the latest data.

This is the highest figure of any modernuniversity in Wales, and placed Cardiff

Met in the upper quartile of alluniversities in the UK.

Men’s Football BUCS Championship

Winners Secured top 6th

place in the WelshPremier League indebut season

Runner’s up –Europa League PlayOff

Women’s Football BUCS 1st Team won

their 8th SouthernPremier League title

Awarded NationRadio Student Teamof the Year for 2016

Alongside the Men’steam, ranked theNo1 institution forBUCS Sport Football

Men’s Rugby 3rd TeamPromotion

Tennis Men’s 1st TeamLeague PromotionConference CupFinalists

BasketballWomen 1st Teamwon League

Indoor CricketMen 1st Team wonWestern League

Football Women1st Team LeagueWinners &Conference CupFinalists

Football Men1st TeamChampionshipWinners 4th Team LeaguePromotion

Women’s Rugby1st Team LeagueWinners

BUCS

British Universities & Colleges

Sport

BUCS MedalsIndividual GoldMorgan Jones Indoor Athletics

Individual SilverFiona Hockey Pole Vault Gwen Northall Judo Charlotte Wingfield200mMen’s 4 x 100 relayteamWomen’s 4 x 100relay team

Individual BronzeAmy Odunaiya200m Women's IndoorRelay Men's Indoor RelayAthletics

2016 - 2017

A total of 35 staff, students and alumni partici-pated in the 2016 Rio Olympics as athletes, coaches

and sport science support staff. Gold medals werewon by Helen Glover in rowing and two Gold medals

for Aled Siôn Davies for para shotput and discus.Two silver medals by Daniel Bibby and Sam Cross in

Rugby Sevens were also won.


Cardiff Met has a well-established approach tolearning, teaching and assessment that is foundedupon: high-quality academic standards; working inpartnership with students; active learning; workexperience, volunteering and outward mobility;global citizenship; and research-informed teaching.Our objective is to develop creative, resilient andsought-after graduates with aptitudes, skills andexperiences that will enable them to impact on theirchosen profession or pathway.

In recent years, we have:

Improved the timeliness and quality offeedback to students.

Enhanced the professional standards of staff. Promoted a framework for students’ acquisition

of clearly defined graduate attributes. Developed tools to audit programmes and

provide advice to programme teams in theareas of sustainability and internationalisation.

Provided multiple opportunities for students tocontribute to decision making fora.

Increased the number of students undertakingsome element of their programme through themedium of Welsh.

Fostered social learning networks to supportthe integration of international and cross-cultural perspectives.

Increased the number of students participatingin international mobility.

The delivery of a high-quality and flexible studentlearning experience remains core to our mission andvalues. The University will respond to an increasinglycompetitive global higher education market throughinvestment in extending its capacity for and use oftechnology enhanced learning and in refreshing itsportfolio of programmes. Underpinning this will be arational, systematic curriculum that facilitatesflexible learning, incorporates education forsustainable development and global citizenship andwhich facilitates transnational education.

Cardiff Metropolitan University has the highestnumber of National Teaching Fellows of anyuniversity in Wales. Over 86% of staff onacademic contracts are classified as ‘qualifiedto teach’ including fellowship recognition.

A total of 44% of academic staff have Doctoralqualifications and the University aims toincrease this to 60% by 2022/23.

In recent years a number of accolades have beenreceived by the University for its teaching and itsstudents' experience:

The University secured first place in theInternational Student Barometer for the sixthtime in 2016 for its provision of Overall StudentSupport.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship was awardedthe National Guardian University Award forEntrepreneurship in 2015.

The University was ranked 1st in Wales and 4thin the UK in the 2016 People and PlanetUniversity league table indicating theUniversity’s commitment to sustainabledevelopment and building on its ‘HealthyUniversity’ initiative.

In 2016, 96% of students were in employmentor further study, six months after graduation(Destination of Leavers of Higher Education,2016).

Find out more about our Learning &

Teaching here.

Our Learning, Teaching & AssessmentStrategy 2015 - 2020 can be found here.

Outstanding learning & teaching

https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/about/ltdu/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/about/ltdu/Documents/LTA_strategy_2015-20.pdf


Cardiff Metropolitan University undertakes research at the cutting edge of new knowledgecreation and application. Our research has directapplication in business, industry, professions and thecommunity and our innovation and enterpriseactivities are aligned with our academic portfoliowhich is oriented towards practice-focused andprofessionally recognised education and research.

The University’s research, innovation and enterprisedeliver impact in art and design, business andmanagement, education and social policy, sport andhealth sciences and digital, data and designtechnologies. Key strengths of the University’sinterdisciplinary and international research includethose advancing human performance and productdesign.

Staff are engaged in a diverse range of enterpriseactivity including Knowledge TransferPartnerships (KTPs), consultancy, collaboration,contract research and training. Renownedorganisations such as Ford (UK), Coca Cola, Nestlé,Robert Bosch and Dowty Aerospace have allfeatured in our portfolio of applied research andknowledge transfer partners.

With a growing international reputation, theUniversity is committed to developing its leadingresearch groups, supporting new and emergingareas of research and realising ambitious plans inrelation to REF 2021.

The results of REF 2014 revealed that 80% of theUniversity’s submission was ‘internationallyexcellent’ (3*) or ‘world leading’ (4*), placing CardiffMet as the highest-ranking ‘post-92 university’ (and41st overall) by the Times Higher Education. Theinstitutional ranking based on ‘impact’ placed CardiffMet 50th overall and second-highest ‘post-92 UKuniversity’.

The new Strategic Plan sets out a proposal for thecreation of ‘Global Academies’ to develop theUniversity’s international and interdisciplinary taughtpostgraduate and research provision. It is envisaged

that Global Academies will link areas of researchstrength across the University, respond to new andemerging global challenges and develop theUniversity’s strengths in world-leading research inareas relating to human performance and productdesign.

Key research areas:

Cardiff School of Art & DesignAdvanced prototype design | Architecture andArchitectural design technology | Art history, theoryand philosophy | Art-science collaboration |Ceramics | Creative digital technology | Designhistory, theory and philosophy | Ecological buildingpractices | Embodied interaction | Fine art |Engineering-building services | Environmentalenergy | Sensory design | Sustainable builtenvironment

Cardiff School of Education and Social PolicyAdult and continuing education | Contemporarymedia | Creative writing | Drama | Education policy |Educational technology | English | Higher education |Language in education | Music education | Outdoorlearning | Primary education and early years | Scienceeducation

Cardiff School of ManagementApplied engineering and management | Computingand informatics | Creative leadership and enterprise |Lean thinking | Public sector management |Renewable energy and systems | Sustainability |Tourism | Value flow | Wine industry

Cardiff School of Sport & Health SciencesCardiovascular health and ageing | Food, nutritionand health | Health and risk management |Performance analysis | Physiology | Sociology andphilosophy of sport | Sport, exercise and healthpsychology | Sport biomechanics | Sport coachingand pedagogy | Sport development andmanagement | Sports injury and rehabilitation

Find out more about our Research here.

Our Research Strategy 2014 - 2019 can befound here.

Research that makes a difference

http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/research/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/research/Documents/Research%20Strategy%202014-2019.pdf


The capital city of Wales has altered beyondrecognition over the past decade. Significantinvestment in the city, the regeneration of itsdocks into a superb waterfront and a generalinterest in all things Welsh, from its music sceneto its devolved government for Wales, makesCardiff an exciting European destination and avery 'livable capital city'.

Cardiff has the good fortune to house such gems asthe National Museum of Wales, the Museum ofWelsh Life, the Wales Millennium Centre andstunning civic buildings surrounded by acres andacres of parkland. The city boasts a year-roundcalendar of events. Despite all the recent changes,Cardiff remains a famously friendly city. Cardiff is ayoung, prosperous and vibrant city full of characterand atmosphere with a range of first-class facilitiesfor sport, nightlife, shopping and sightseeing.

Barcelona may be a famous city by the sea, but it isCardiff that boasts Europe’s largest waterfrontdevelopment, Cardiff Bay. The harbour area hasalways been important to the city and in the late19th century Cardiff was the world’s busiest coal port.

In 1999, the Cardiff Bay barrage created a hugefreshwater lake which is now surrounded by chicwaterfront bars, restaurants and cafes. The RoaldDahl Plass, named after the famous Cardiff-bornauthor, is a stunning public plaza next to the modernWelsh Government Building and the WalesMillennium Centre. The bowl-shaped area, withamphitheatre style seating, acts as a venue foropen-air concerts and festivals throughout thesummer. Lazy Sundays can easily be spent in CardiffBay, with a tapas lunch on the balcony at Terra Nova,followed by ice-cream at Cadwalader’s and then aboat trip over to the seaside town of Penarth, or back to the city centre.

Cardiff is without doubt a sporting capital. ThePrincipality Stadium dominates the skyline and hasseen sporting history played out under itsretractable roof since 1999. A legendary destinationfor rugby fans, Cardiff on an international match day,

is often awash with people from across the world.Many say there isn’t anywhere better to watch amajor sporting event than in a world class stadium,unusually situated at the heart of a city centre. It’snot all about rugby though - the Principality Stadiumis also home to the British Speedway Grand Prix andhas hosted international boxing clashes.

Cardiff City FC also has its brand new stadium atLeckwith for the fans to enjoy the games. Cricketenthusiasts will enjoy an afternoon at SophiaGardens, home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club,whilst ice hockey fans can see the Cardiff Devilsteam in action at the city’s ice-rink.

Cardiff Met itself has some of the best sportingfacilities in Wales, but outside of the University thereis plenty of opportunity for recreational sport. The River Taff runs right though the city centre andthe beautiful surroundings of Roath Park Lake areworth a visit. The Welsh Institute of Sport at SophiaGardens has world class facilities, includingbadminton, tennis and netball courts.

Surrounding Cardiff is beautiful and accessible coastand countryside, including Gower and Brecon, withample opportunities for outdoor recreation andsport including mountain biking, sailing, cycling andwalking. Cardiff itself has excellent transport links.Situated just off the M4 motorway, the city is servedby Central Station in the heart of the city and bynearby Cardiff Airport. The city is only two hours fromLondon by train and has access to main domesticand international destinations by air.

Quick facts about Cardiff:

Research by MoneySuperMarket.com putCardiff in the top three UK cities for quality oflife for the last three years running.

Cardiff ranked 'third best' capital city in Europe. The Quality of Life in European Cities Survey.

3rd cheapest city in the UK for rental costs. Student Living Index 2016.

Cardiff

www.cardiffmet.ac.uk