June has been a busy month for the London Higher team. 

First, we published our Winning London’s Arts and Minds report, which shines a light on modern creative HE provision in the capital and the benefits it brings to the economy and local communities. 

We also published a corresponding HEPI blog, alongside Yorkshire Universities, to show that supporting the creative industries in one part of the UK is not a zero-sum game and that a strong and diverse talent pipeline between cities and across regions is essential to the nation’s recovery. 

 
Second, we have been working hard to get our new networks up and running. Just last week, we spoke to Deputy Mayor of London Jules Pipe and his team to outline just some of the work we’ve got planned for the year ahead and how it aligns with the Mayoral recovery missions. 

One of these themes is tackling climate change and the Executive Chair of our new sustainability network, Professor Frances Corner OBE, Warden of Goldsmiths, University of London, makes the case in this HEPI blog for why London’s universities need to be round the policymaking table when it comes to demonstrating leadership on clean growth. 

Third, we’ve continued to raise the London voice at various sector events. I interviewed Professor Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University London, at this year’s HESPA conference about what support heads of institutions are looking for from their teams in times of political turbulence. I also took part in the first evidence session of the Lifelong Education Commission asking questions, among others, to Sir Philip Augar on how we create a more balanced, equitable and affordable HE funding system. 

You can catch me raising particular London issues on last week’s edition of the wonkhe show too. 

Finally, we enjoyed hosting our new series of strategic member conversations last month and shall be sure to take forward many of the ideas raised to form the basis of future work. We also enjoyed partnering with the EPSRC to host the London leg of their national impact roadshow, attracting over 200 researchers from across the capital and beyond. 

All of this activity made for solid foundations for the London Higher AGM which took place this morning and I’d like to thank all of you who attended for your continued support and engagement. With no news as yet from the Office for Students on the funding settlement for London for next academic year, we shall continue to press for a Government response to this urgent issue. 

Until next month,

Best wishes,

Higher Education Commission inquiry on University Research & Regional Levelling-Up.  
At the end of June, London Higher submitted a response to the Higher Education Commission inquiry into university research and regional inequalities, chaired by the Rt. Hon. Chris Skidmore MP. Drawing on views and opinions collected from across the London Higher membership, which comprises over forty higher education institutions of different sizes, local London geographies and specialisms, our submission provides a snapshot of the diverse research story in the capital. 
 
 
Among our conclusions we recommend that any evaluation of regional R&D activities, and any subsequent changes to national funding mechanisms, should emphasise the overall impact of individual research projects, rather than the collective level of investment received by each region; deeper and more meaningful engagement between Research Councils and local authorities to better understand regional and local needs; and a commitment that levelling up is an inclusive, UK-wide initiative, which does not level up particular regions at the expense of others (i.e. London). 

You can read our full response here.

UUPF foundation Student Futures commission

Responding to the first call for evidence by the Student Futures Commission, chaired by former UCAS-Chief Executive Mary Curnock-Cook, London Higher and AccessHE have teamed up to submit a collection of initiatives undertaken across our large memberships to show how London higher education institutions are supporting students at crucial points in the student journey. Our submission focuses on six core areas, pre-arrival communications, supporting students’ transitions, mental health and wellbeing, clubs, societies and students’ unions, supporting those feeling “left out”  and placements and industry partnerships.

You can read the full response here

Kingston University: Future skills campaign
Kingston University is leading the way in a major campaign highlighting the importance of a creative education and entrepreneurial innovation in providing employers with the skilled workforce of the future. The campaign launch comes as a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 employers conducted for the University reveals the key concerns of businesses across the United Kingdom and the portfolio of skills for innovation they believe are vital for a thriving national economy.

 
Published as part of The Future Skills League Table report, the results show the top 10 professional attributes leading firms, including Deloitte, Mastercard and Lidl, consider key to business success. These include problem-solving, communication, critical thinking and digital prowess – all developed through studying creative subjects.
 
Despite creative education increasingly being at the heart of plans for growth in emerging economies, it does not currently receive the same attention in the United Kingdom, the report reveals. It cites creative subjects having been described by the Department for Education as ‘strategically unimportant', even though creative industries contribute £115.9bn to the UK economy – more than the aeronautical, automotive, life sciences and the oil and gas industries combined. The report's findings also highlight the fact that a third of creative job roles are not in the creative industries themselves but in other sectors.
 
The contribution that creativity, innovative thinking and the creative industries made to the United Kingdom's economy could not be under-estimated, Kingston University Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Spier, one of the leading voices in the campaign, said: "Creative skills drive business transformation and regional growth and have a tangible impact on local communities. The application of such skills is not only central to the creative industries, in which the United Kingdom is world-leading, but also a catalyst in others, such as healthcare, local services, sustainability, and regeneration. This is the environment in which the rigour of creative problem solving prospers and helps grow new approaches, products and industries."
 
To read more about the report, and the future skills campaign, click here

This month, London Higher launched our latest report Winning London’s Arts and Minds, calling for the Mayor of London to launch a "Creative Capital" campaign to help showcase the contribution of our creative HE institutions to the city and nation's recovery.   

The publication, looking at the importance of the capital's creative higher education provision, examines real-life examples of innovative creative higher education provision across the capital, and how it plays a critical role in ensuring that graduates are equipped with not only the transferable skills any higher education course provides, such as leadership, communication and self-discipline, but also with vital skills that ensure positive employment outcomes.  

 
In examining the current profile of creative higher education provision in London, the report uncovers the modern face of the capital’s creative arts scene and makes the case for the continued support of a higher education in the arts for the sake of both local and national recovery efforts. 

Launching a “Creative Capital” campaign, to run alongside the existing “Let’s Do London” initiative, would shine a spotlight on the contribution of London’s creative industries and all who work in them to the local and national economy”  

Alongside coverage in Wonkhe, HEPI and others, we were delighted to receive the support of Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, Jules Pipe, who said; 

“London’s world-leading cultural institutions and attractions will be at the heart of the capital’s recovery from Covid-19. I’m really pleased this report by London Higher highlights the wealth of creative talent in the capital and the contributions our students and graduates make to local communities and businesses, supported by our superb higher education sector.

You can read the report in full here. 

In July, AccessHE will be wrapping up its activities with students and higher education institutions for the academic year – and what a year it’s been! All seven of AccessHE’s forums will be having their last meeting of the year in July, including several extra planning sessions and working groups to get us ready to roll out new projects in the autumn term. Practical work in the new term will include a targeted series of workshops and panels on employability and assessment centres for London’s BAME learners, resources for disabled learners considering university, and the return of London’s student ambassador conference following the pandemic’s disruption.  

 
One of the core functions of Uni Connect is to act as the bridge between local stakeholders which play important roles in career/HE decisions. That's exactly what we achieved in Enfield last year, by coordinating the 'Know Before You Go' transitions booklet for Year 13 students in the borough; AccessHE brought together employers, HEIs, schools and colleges, with support from the local authority. We're delighted that the booklet's value has been recognised and replicated this year, with an updated Year 13 Booklet for Enfield, a version to support Year 11s in the borough, and a brand new booklet for Year 13s in Barking & Dagenham. Find Enfield’s Year 13 booklet online here and the Year 11 booklet here. 

Adult Education Roadmap for London: roundtable with London Higher and City Hall  
Monday 19th July 2-2.30pm

The Mayor of London has launched a public consultation on the draft Roadmap to get the feedback of London’s skills and learning providers, boroughs, businesses and employers, community organisations and Londoners themselves. As part of this consultation, London Higher is hosting a roundtable session with City Hall to address their consultation on developing an Adult Education Roadmap on 19th July at 2pm.  

The Roadmap will set a clear direction of travel for adult education in the capital. This includes the full diversity of adult learning that takes place in London, as well as the £330m per annum Adult Education Budget that was delegated to the Mayor in 2019.   

 
The consultation looks at raising awareness of learning opportunities in London and making sure different communities are engaged. This includes referrals, for example by community organisations, into adult learning. The session will be led by City Hall, and will be an opportunity to feed directly into this important consultation. You can read more about the consultation here.  

To sign up to this event, please contact Sarah Hurst at sarah.hurst@londonhigher.ac.uk

Higher Education Awarding gaps and ethnicity in London: Going beyond BAME

Friday 16 July, 10:00-11:30am,

To mark the launch of AccessHE and London Higher’s latest report ‘Higher Education Awarding gaps and ethnicity in London: Going beyond BAME’, we are hosting a roundtable with the author of the report, as well as those who have participated in its research. 

This roundtable event will examine the characteristics of awarding gaps between different ethnic communities in London higher education (HE) providers and consider possible explanations for these. It will also put forward practical recommendations to implement if awarding gaps are to be closed – a current priority both for the HE regulator and for all those working in the HE sector.  

In addition to sharing key findings from the report, this event will look in more detail at some of the key issues it addresses, inviting comment and discussion on questions such as:   

• The specific characteristics of awarding gaps in London. 

• ‘What works’ in closing these gaps. 

• Where there is scope for collaborative approaches to closing awarding gaps, drawing in students, providers and other stakeholders in London. 

Click here to sign up to the event  

London Higher & QAA Strategic Conversation: Microcredentials – Thursday 22 July, 3:30-4:30pm 

With the recent publication of the revised Credit Framework for England, a range of related activity is taking place in the micro-credentials space. 

With London HEIs seeking to be innovative and adapting to the needs of learners, London Higher are inviting members to join us for a strategic conversation to explore the possibilities offered by micro-credentials, from collaborative projects focused on modular student pathways to developing a draft characteristics statement for micro-credentials, particularly bearing in mind the London dynamic. 

Opened by a team from QAA (Douglas Blackstock, CEO, Vicki Stott, Deputy CEO and Dr Ailsa Crum, Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement & Standards) this conversation will give participants the opportunity to discuss upcoming changes, challenges and opportunities in this area.  

To sign up to this event, please contact Sarah Hurst at sarah.hurst@londonhigher.ac.uk

London Higher & UCAS Roundtable: international student recruitment – Monday 26 July, 3:30-4:40pm 

Before we break for the summer, London Higher are pleased to be hosting a roundtable with Clare Marchant, CEO of UCAS, and Aaron Powell, MD of UCAS International.  UCAS are currently on a programme of regional engagement – reaching out to higher education institutions in different parts of the country to present their new “Myriad” portal, a one-stop shop international student recruitment portal. 

The portal is currently in 14 languages and, in the future, it is envisioned that it will help prospective and current international students with UKVI applications and processing, and also international credit transfer, and other essentials. 

This event will be an opportunity to discuss the portal with UCAS, to see the prototype in action, and to ask any questions before it is rolled out further. 

To join this roundtable, please contact Sarah Hurst on sarah.hurst@londonhigher.ac.uk