LSBU is supporting the MillionPlus #ThinkModern campaign, launched this week (14 May) to highlight the significant contribution in terms of innovation, ingenuity and inclusion made by modern universities and their students to the UK economy.

The campaign kicked off with a launch event at the Palace of Westminster, run by MillionPlus, the association for modern UK universities. Parliamentarians were given an opportunity to meet with modern university students at the event at Speaker’s House, hosted by The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons.

The campaign is designed to explore the work of modern universities, focusing on six key themes: Making Britain Work; Pathways, Partnerships and Productivity; Creative and Technological Skills for the 21st Century; Innovation and Research; Aspiration, Opportunity and Inclusion; and Entrepreneurial, Enterprising, Enriching.

Modern universities represent more than half of the UK’s higher education sector, educating over a million students a year, delivering world-class teaching and research, broadening participation, transforming lives and delivering a highly-skilled workforce for employers of many kinds.

These universities thrive while meeting the challenges posed by educating the next generation, in a rapidly changing world. Together, they have a huge impact across the UK and do much of the hard work in developing key skills training, opportunities and apprenticeship schemes targeted at the future jobs market.

Therefore, if government wants:

• to boost productivity, innovation and technological advances in industry to meet tomorrow’s challenges;
• to improve recruitment, retention and impact of the public service workforce in   the NHS, schools, police forces and local communities;
• to increase the aspiration and opportunities of people from all walks of life by ensuring flexible pathways into higher education, supporting them on their learning journey

…it needs to #ThinkModern.

David Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University said: “LSBU is one of London’s leading modern universities. Our students are diverse, talented and enterprising. We work to empower every individual, regardless of their prior achievements, to realise their full potential. Our approach works. It’s why more LSBU students are in the top ten in the UK for graduate salaries. (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2919).

“Our business links mean LSBU is also a nationally leading university in terms of delivering apprenticeship schemes across a range of professional and technical disciplines, including building services, architecture and digital marketing.

“LSBU is also very successful at forging links with employers and we are the leading UK university in terms of building apprenticeship schemes across a range of professional and technical disciplines, including building services, architecture and digital marketing.”

Follow the campaign on the MillionPlus website and on Twitter, using the hashtag #ThinkModern

Find out more about the Think Modern campaign.