Sajid Javid MP visited Bournemouth University to speak to staff and students about BU's contribution to the digital economy.
The day after BU graduates gained BAFTA recognition for their visual effects work on the film Interstellar, the Minister of Media, Culture and Sport took a tour of facilities at BU's Talbot Campus before talking to staff and students about Bournemouth's excellent reputation for digital industry and the University's ability to produce award-winning graduates.
The Minister was invited to Bournemouth by local MP Conor Burns, who was also in attendance for the tour. The visit was to highlight Bournemouth's success following a Tech Nation report, featured in media outlets such as the Telegraph, that found Bournemouth to have the fastest growing digital economy in the UK.
Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo, Conor Burns said, "“It’s not driven by central government, massive investment, Prime Ministers’ champions and tsars – this is a spontaneous pooling together of incredible talent that we have in Bournemouth, particularly across our two universities.”
Sajid Javid MP took a tour of the animation and television studio facilities within the Faculty of Media and Communication before sitting down in the studio for a filmed interview with Television Production students. Following the interview, Mr Javid was shown a series of examples of work created by students at BU's National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA).
During the visit Sajid Javid MP said, "Conor Burns, the local MP, invited me to come down and see what the University was doing, especially in the space of digital media and arts, which is really well known not only by me but worldwide and I wanted to see and admire it for myself.
"As Britain is doing much better at film making, especially digital film and skills, one of the reasons it is happening is because of Bournemouth University and because of the skills being produced at the University.
"I had the opportunity to meet lots of students today. I was very impressed with the students, it was good to see first hand how they learn their skills and how well they are growing."
