Powering Birmingham
BCU graduates power Birmingham.
A new report from JISC has found that more graduates from the West Midlands region studied at BCU than any other institution, making our university a driving force behind the city’s economy, workforce, and public services.
BCU graduates play a huge role in keeping Birmingham, and the wider West Midlands region functioning and growing; from businesses and innovation to health, education, and civic life.
BCU is more than a university in Birmingham. We are an anchor institution - rooted here, invested here, committed to its long-term prosperity. We’re not just part of Birmingham’s story. We help power it.
Our impact
40% of BCU first degree graduates stay in Birmingham to start their careers.
Over 28%of Birmingham’s new primary teachers are BCU graduates.
43% of all new nurses in the West Midlands are trained at BCU
BCU is a key anchor institute
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Almost a quarter of new graduate-level professionals in the city studied at BCU, nearly twice as many as any other university in Birmingham.
- More than 40% of BCU’s first degree graduates go on to work in Birmingham.
- Over half of graduates are originally from the West Midlands Combined Authority.
- 10.5% of all first-degree graduates (2022/23) from the West Midlands got their degree from BCU.
Our impact reaches beyond
BCU’s impact extends beyond Birmingham, particularly into Solihull, Sandwell, and South Staffordshire – supporting high-skill labour markets across the region.
BCU is crucial to Birmingham’s future
Birmingham’s economy, NHS, schools, and local services depend on a stable pipeline of locally trained graduates.
BCU is the most important graduate supplier in the West Midlands, underpinning regional growth, resilience, and public services.
We are the single largest supplier of graduate talent to the city and a critical part of its economic and public-service infrastructure.
BCU graduates sustain essential public services
- 43% of all new nurses in the WMCA trained at BCU.
- Three quarters of new radiographers and speech therapists in the region studied at BCU.
- Over 28% of Birmingham’s new primary teachers are BCU graduates.
Labour market analysis 2025
We are proud to be rooted in Birmingham. And proud to be central to shaping the fortunes of our city. BCU has a profound effect on the job markets of both Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. This report illustrates how our graduates are powering the region.
