Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Alliance universities set to play a vital role in the UK’s recovery from the pandemic
These universities, including Leeds Beckett, will deliver the skills, ideas and innovations needed to generate the pillars of growth for an economic recovery that will see communities across the country thrive once again, the campaign ‘Powering the UK’s Future’ says.
Calling for higher education to be positioned and funded as a major asset for the nation’s recovery, University Alliance has released a set of high-level policy asks which if enacted will enhance universities’ contribution to the national economic, social and cultural recovery.
The Alliance’s 12 universities train almost a quarter of the nation’s nurses, support almost 24,000 businesses with consultancy, facilities and research, and have been awarded more than £68m to spend on regenerating their local communities, alongside their own significant investments.
As the UK economy grapples with recession, today’s campaign highlights how Alliance universities will use their critical role within the NHS and public services, support for businesses, locally-rooted research and innovation, and partnership with industry to find solutions to the economic and social challenges we all face and support the governments investment pillars of growth.
Already they are finding new treatments to tackle obesity, creating new training routes for police officers, supporting SMEs to develop new technologies, developing innovations in green services, redesigning a struggling high street, and working with TV companies to produce new programmes.
The campaign has been backed by major employers and industry partners, including the International Chamber of Commerce, along with support from numerous SMEs and local organisations who work with Alliance universities to deliver change for their communities.
University Alliance CEO, Vanessa Wilson said: “As a mission group we are committed to working together, to unlock potential in order to effect change, and this has never been more important for the UK than now. I am proud that through launching this campaign we are demonstrating our potential and readiness as a collective group of universities to power a national renewal and recovery which we all strive for as we look to rebuild from Covid-19 and beyond.
“With their closeness to industry, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to levelling-up, Alliance universities are well placed to support national pillars of growth in innovation, infrastructure and skills. The success of this role will be dependent on the Government’s policy approach and we look forward to working with them to harness the potential and power of our institutions and institutions like us to support their plan for national growth and renewal.”
“The success of this role will be dependent on the Government’s policy approach and we look forward to working with them to harness the potential and power of our institutions and institutions like us to support their plan for national growth and renewal.”
How Alliance universities are powering the UK
- Alliance universities train almost a quarter of all nursing and midwifery students, 18% of all social work students and 15% of all teacher training students in England and Wales.
- Over 1/3 of all courses at Alliance universities result in professional accreditations such as medicine, nursing, teaching, social work, engineering and law
- There are over 4,500 apprentices on programmes across Alliance universities in England, we train more than 50% of all civic engineering degree apprentices in the country.
- Commercialisation and entrepreneurialism are ingrained into the DNA of Alliance universities, who support around 24,000 commercial and non-commercial organisations with consultancy, research and the provision of facilities and equipment-related services. In 2018/19 alone our members supported over 2,000 active graduate and post graduate spin-offs, start-ups, and social enterprises with a combined turnover of £157m that year alone.
- Our members are research active and community conscious, conducting world-leading research in areas such as health and engineering. In 2018/19 Alliance universities received over £100m worth of research grants and contracts from research councils, governments, charities, and commercial businesses and between the years 2016-19 received £68m alongside their own significant investments to support community regeneration.
Follow the campaign on University Alliance’s website, and on Twitter using #UApoweringUK.