Students at Abertay University hope to breathe new life into Dundee’s struggling Wellgate Centre.
Fourth year undergraduate students were tasked with outlining plans to restore the faltering facility to its former glory.
Students drew up proposals as part of Abertay’s fifth Innovation for Global Growth event, the only venture of its kind run by a UK university for students to develop solutions to real business challenges.
As well as suggesting the creation of a leisure centre, plans were submitted which recommend a re-branding and possible renaming of the centre itself.
Maryfield councillor Lynne Short, who spoke at the event, said she hopes some of the ideas garnered by students will be acted on.
She said: “This is one of the first things which was talked about when I entered the council. One in six people in Dundee is a student and they bring spending power to the city, but they need leisure time
“These students are telling an organisation what they want and if the Wellgate is struggling then they are getting a viable alternative which students are saying they will use.
“If students are thinking along these lines then hopefully the Wellgate Centre will sit up and listen.”
Marion Crerar, marketing and commercial manager of the Wellgate said: “I was invited to participate in the Innovation for Global Growth session at Abertay University when around 40 Dundee Business School students were tasked to work on ideas for the future of Wellgate.
“In December, we will receive 18 evidence-based management reports on the solutions they have developed. It was a good experience and it was very interesting to hear what the students, a mix of our current and prospective customers, envisage and to hear first hand what they want when they go to a shopping centre.”
Claire MacEachen, curriculum manager of Abertay University’s business school, said: “This gives students an opportunity to work with business leaders in a way they would not normally have access to.
“It also boosts students’ prospects before they enter the jobs market, in being able to show potential employers they they have real experience of working on solutions for industry set by industry.
“The businesses benefit from receiving innovative ideas to address their problems from bright young people who are able to bring a fresh pair of eyes which is sometimes not possible from within an organisation.”
