A UK Government Minister has paid tribute to the work that the University of South Wales (USW) carries out at home and abroad.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth marked his return as a Minister for the UK Government in Wales with a visit to USW’s National Cyber Security Academy (NCSA), which is based at its Newport Campus.

The visit came in the same week that USW signed agreements at the Dubai Airshow with Fujairah Aviation Academy and Kuwait Airways, which will support its plans to deliver degrees to aerospace engineering students as a key partner at the UAE’s new Dubai South development.

Lord Bourne said: “USW is quickly developing its status as a leading Welsh university with a strong international reputation. Higher Education is a key export for the UK, and Dubai South will be one of the world’s leading aerospace hubs.

“We want to provide our higher education institutions with the platforms to share their expertise and skills worldwide. USW is a dynamic university bridging the gap between industry and academia and the UK Government is committed to supporting its progress.”

After visiting the NCSA, Lord Bourne added: “By piloting a specialist degree, accredited by GCHQ, USW is training and developing expertise within cyber security, which is contributing to ensuring we have a highly-skilled workforce which can plug a shortage of skills within the sector.”