A NEW manager has been appointed for an innovative project at University College Worcester.

The state-of-the-art Digital Arts Centre will be led by Paul Hazell.

It is due to open with a selection of new courses in September next year.

The new courses will be in areas including interactive Digital Media and Time-based Digital Media.

These new degree courses will allow students to develop their creative skills in areas such as website design, multimedia, animation, digital video and digital sound editing.

UCW has offered modules in this area for a number of years, but the new Digital Arts Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software as well as digital sound and video editing equipment, will allow for many more opportunities.

"There is a demand from both industry and the community for creative people with a combination of artistic and technical ability," said Mr Hazell.

"This fantastic new facility will allow new courses to be developed that answer this demand in areas such as web design and interactive TV.

"We are confident that when this new centre is completed next year, it will attract talented students locally, nationally and internationally."

The centre was included in the recent £1m funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

UCW Principal Dorma Urwin feels this development in digital arts confirms the massive strides forward that UCW continues to make.

"We are building a very positive reputation across the UK and further afield, particularly in Europe, as a centre of excellence in a number of niche areas of higher education," she said.

"This new centre will enhance that standing still further. These are exciting times for UCW as we continue the journey towards gaining full university status."