College and University Business Officers Opens Membership To Further Education Sector

As of August 2020, College and University Business Officers (@CUBO_Comms) has opened its membership to further education institutions.

The association for commercial and campus service professionals provides member value through a network of over 500 peers across the UK and Ireland, as well as events, research, resources, training and recognition, driving best practice and professional development.

This announcement comes at a time when the role of commercial services has never been so important within the FE infrastructure, both in creating a safe and positive campus experience and in driving revenues in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

CUBO membership is institutional with no limit to the number of staff who can access the benefits. Fees are turnover-based, making membership more affordable for smaller institutions. And as an introductory offer, CUBO is taking £200 off the annual membership fee for 2020/2021 for new institutions that sign up by 30 September 2020.

Jane Donachy, Vice Chair of CUBO Board and Membership Lead, explained:

“As we enter a new CUBO year, we are delighted to open membership to the FE sector, and offer enhanced value and benefits in these challenging times. A number of FE colleges took advantage of our C-19 temporary free membership and there has already been some take-up of full membership for 2020-21.”

“The last few months have highlighted the importance and value of sharing information and solutions. While we will no doubt return to face-to-face meetings in future, we will also continue to host the popular online networking and learning, including a free Winter Conference in early December.

“Plans for 2020-21 include expanding our special groups to include Marketing, Finance, Student Experience, Campus Universities, Soft Facilities, Conferencing, Technology and Outsourced Catering, and adding more regional groups after the successful launch of London, Scotland and Midlands groups this year.”

“There are many benefits to joining CUBO, including monthly round tables and webinars, access to best practice and research, special groups, commercial services benchmarking, discounts on training and more. As a director, I particularly value connecting with my peers at other institutions, and my university has benefitted enormously from the generous sharing of ideas, experience and plans.”