About this page
Central academics, and Central as an institution, engage with business and the community in a variety of ways.
As an institution, Central reports on its business and community engagement every year in its Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) statutory return.
As its HE-BCI return demonstrates, Central has significant involvement in several areas:
Collaborative research
Central’s first research aim is “To undertake and disseminate research of the highest quality, across a range of forms within academic contexts and with a reach to local, national and international communities”. One of the ways in which Central academics achieve this is through research that is collaborative in nature.
Consultancy
Central provides consulting to business and organisations on how to meet their unique training needs. Current and past clients include Twitter, Santander, VW Group, Five Guys, Channel 4, The NHS, Northern Ireland Assembly, Bartlett Mitchell, St John’s Hospice, Imperial College, Perkin Elmer, Huawei, Cisco, Babcock International, Salesforce, Global Radio, Cognizant, Abbott Nutrition, NAPP, etc., as well as barristers, royalty, doctors, MPs, civil servants, journalists, dentists, CEOs, HR Managers, and other professionals.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Continuing Education (CE) courses
Drawing on our accredited training in Acting, Voice & Performance Practice, Central creates experiential training courses delivered in a safe, creative environment. Delivered by a qualified trainer, they are limited to between 10 and 12 participants to ensure maximum impact and individual feedback.
Support for graduate start-ups
Central Start-up & Enterprise is a training and seed funding programme to support Central students in establishing and running their own business, charitable and social enterprises. Training sessions over the course of the year impart the fundamentals of enterprise start-up and development to interested students. Seed funding accompanied by mentoring is offered to graduating students on a competitive basis.
Public events
Central has an ongoing programme of public events, including lectures, performances, exhibitions, festivals, open days and tasters, as well as events aimed specifically at professionals in the performing arts industry.
In addition, Central academics engage in public events around the UK and the world. These can include: public lectures, panel discussions or interviews; workshops or masterclasses; public commissions and exhibitions; festivals; and public performances.