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LSBU GroupCorporate Strategy2020–2025
ForewordLondon South Bank University (LSBU) wasestablished as the Borough Polytechnic Institute in1892. Its mission - to serve the local community andits employers by providing high quality professionaland technical education and insight – still standstoday. We have created LSBU Group so we cancontinue to deliver that vision as effectively andambitiously as possible.Our VisionTo transform lives,communities, businessesand society throughapplied educationand insight.The UK has one of the developed world’slowest levels of literacy and numeracy amongyoung people. The majority of our populationfails to progress beyond level 3, with 25% notprogressing past level 2. Many of these leftbehind learners are from disadvantagedbackgrounds. In 2016, the gap betweendisadvantaged pupils (those eligible for thePupil Premium) and their peers, at the end ofsecondary school, was 19.3 months. For thosepersistently disadvantaged, the gap was 24.3months. This is not a failure by those individualsbut a failure of society, and of an overly complexeducational system. LSBU Group is tackling thatcomplexity by establishing identifiable pathwaysthat provide learners with clear routes to theircareer goals, irrespective of level.We are included in both major internationaluniversity rankings and our transnationalstudent numbers have grown to over 5000.Our research income has trebled and we arethe leading provider in London of businesssupport for SMEs, funded by European Unionstructural funds. We are second in Londonfor Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and ourbusiness incubation programme is secondamongst all UK universities. We have beennamed Entrepreneurial University of theYear and University of the Year for GraduateEmployment twice.The institutions within LSBU Group work to ashared mission and values and use a sharededucational framework to achieve sharedoutcomes. Our aim is to create educationalstrategies and pathways that enable peopleof all characteristics and talents to achievetheir full potential, and so contribute their skillsand energy to wider society throughout theirlives. We believe this approach can transformthe way we think about learning and offers atemplate for locally accountable education.In order to tackle the twin challenges of failingsocial justice and weak UK productivity –which undermines both individual prosperityand the ability to support our mostdisadvantaged - we need a step change inprofessional and technical upskilling.Our 2015-20 corporate plan focused on highquality professional and technical education,applied research and supporting our civiccommunity. We have had significant success.We are now a leading university for graduatestarting salaries. We are a recognised leader inemployer sponsored study with 2000 higher anddegree apprentices alongside 5000 studentssupported by employers. The Passmore Centrefor Professional and Technical Education,created with Southwark Council, is a physicalmanifestation of our work with employers.We have a new group structure incorporatingsecondary and further education as part ofour demonstrable commitment to serving thewider educational community and LambethCollege is now a top 50 provider based onlearner achievement.To achieve this, we must involve those inemployment and those still to progress to it.I see the Group leading the field in employersponsored education and apprenticeships.1
Introducing theLSBU GroupWe must build a workforce with the skillsto deliver now, the wider educationalunderstanding required to adapt to thefuture, and the resilience to manage personaland professional challenges. Our forebearspioneered this holistic approach in 1892,describing themselves as providing “industrialskill, general knowledge, health and well-being”.It’s a balance that remains at the forefront ofLSBU Group’s approach today.Our new strategy for 2020-2025 builds onthe strong foundations of the last 5 yearsand includes the same three educationalpillars as our 2015-2020 strategy: Access toOpportunity, Student Success, and Real WorldImpact. To highlight the need to adapt andtake full advantage of our new group structureand the digital world, and to meet changingstakeholder expectations, we have added afourth pillar, Fit for the Future.An optimal workforce is achievable onlythrough true partnership between educationand business, not only in relation to educationand skills but with respect to appliedresearch and enterprise. Many countries havesuccessfully achieved this by developingworld leading universities of technology whichfocus on technical and professional educationand research. In the face of today’s globalchallenges, these institutions are needed nowmore than ever. In the UK’s higher educationsector, this area has been neglected formany years. At LSBU, we will seek to raise itsprofile and strive for national recognition,measuring ourselves against the best of suchinstitutions globally whilst continuing to beembedded in our local communities and toaddress local challenges.Alongside the high level strategy, this documentsets out our overarching vision and creates aframework for each institution in our family ofeducational providers to determine how best todeliver excellence within its own area of activityand accountabilities.The LSBU Group is also committed to playinga leading and measurable role in deliveringsocietal good. We are proud of the diversity ofour students and workforce, and see ourselvesas playing a pivotal role in supporting theirsuccess. As evidenced by the Black Lives mattermovement and the barriers faced by variousparts of our society, this work is as importantnow as it was 100 years ago. As part of thiscommitment, we have subscribed to the UnitedNations Sustainable Development GoalsAccord and embedded the UN SDGs in ourstrategy as a framework for delivering equality,environmental sustainability, education, healthand wellbeing and economic prosperity.As we embark on this new strategy, theeducational and political environment willcontinue to change. Brexit and the COVID-19pandemic will undoubtedly have far-reachingconsequences for people and organisations.In our response, we will continue to developour group, to put learners and our communitiesat its heart; and to provide the high qualityprofessional and technical education that candeliver both social justice for the individual andprosperity for the nation.The LSBU Group comprises South Bank Academies, SouthBank Colleges, South Bank Enterprises and London SouthBank University. The Group works to one vision and seeksto deliver a holistic solution to the educational needs ofcommunities and business both locally and globally.South BankAcademies (SBA)UniversityAcademy ofEngineeringSouth Bank (11-19years) is situatedin Walworth andhas a STEAMspecialism. SouthBank EngineeringUTC (14-19 years)is based inBrixton and is oneof 48 UniversityTechnicalColleges. Itspecialises inengineering andhealth.South BankColleges (SBC)At Vauxhall, weare creating anew technicalcollege to provideadvancedtechnicalprogrammesaligned touniquely mappedcareer pathways.LambethCollege, basedin Clapham,will becomea CommunityCollege focusedon gatewayqualifications.In additionSBC houses aspecialist Englishfor Speakers ofOther Languages(ESOL) centre inBrixton.London SouthBank University(LSBU)LSBU ticeshipprogrammesand, throughLSBU Global,educationto overseasstudents. Itcompetesinternationallyin researchareas that arealigned with itsprofessional andtechnical focus.Professor David Phoenix OBE DLFAcSS, DUniv, DSc, FRCP (Edin), FSB,FRSC, FIMA, PFHEAVice-Chancellor and LSBU Group Chief Executive23South BankEnterprisesDeliverscommerciallyled activity thatadds value to theGroup’s mission,such as our newemploymentagency and arange of CPDprogrammes.
2025 LSBUGroup StrategyStrategic pillars, Goals and United NationsSustainable Development GoalsAccess toOpportunityStudentSuccessReal WorldImpactThrough local andglobal partnershipswe will createopportunities forindividuals, businessand society and seekto remove barriers tosuccess.Recognised as aleading organisationfor outstandingpractice-ledlearning, fostering thedevelopment of ablegraduates ready toaddress business andsocietal challenges.Research andInnovation thatenhances teaching andtackles global and civicchallenges, generatescritical insights, andsustainable solutionsto transform thelives of individuals,communities,businesses and society.2025 Goals Progress against UNSDGs Positively impact 1million lives2025 Goals Increase socialmobility Increase in students’social capitalUN SDGUN SDGsFit for the FutureTechnologyandEstatesPeople,Culture andInclusionResources,Market andShapeTo create a flexible physicaland digital environment,allowing opportunitiesfor personalisation,that is mobile friendly,fit for the future andembraces innovation andsustainability.Create a transformationaland inclusive culture that ispeople centric, values ledand ambitious; enablingLSBU Group to empowerstaff and to attract andretain a diverse range ofskilled individuals.Alignment of core activitywith business and society’scurrent and futurerequirements in termsof skills, knowledge andinnovation and insight.2025 Goals 5bn of economicimpact Impactful and highquality research2025 Goals At least 20% of allteaching delivered usingdigital platforms orindustry standard facilities Environmentalsustainability2025 Goals A highly engagedworkforce Closing of the Genderand Ethnicity Pay Gap2025 Goals Delivering financialsustainability Highly effective internalservicesUN SDGUN SDGsUN SDGsUN SDGOur VisionTo transform lives, communities,businesses and society throughapplied education and insight.45
The LSBU Group:a distinctive approachThere are many benefits to our approach.We deliver real world impact through teaching, research and enterprise.We are able to harness the intellectual and physical resources across theGroup to meet our mission of offering:Access to Opportunity1. Social mobilityEducational pathways – we provide a continuous offer of educationand skills pathways, aligned to careers that support people of allcharacteristics, talents and levels to achieve their potentialOutreach – raising local aspiration and attainment, we align ourcombined outreach activities with the needs of local stakeholdersand partners, including leveraging our employer relationships to providework experience and other employer engagement in local schoolsAccess to talent – providing employers with access to talent at alleducational levels, especially in professional and technical education2. A student experience designed around our students3. Professional and technical education4. Impact through insight5. Strength from diversity6. Engagement with placeBottom left: LSBU’s partner, the British University of Egypt’s (BUE) new campus (artist impression)Student Success6Educational enhancement – creating interaction amongst the Groupwhich provides learners with reciprocal benefits such as access totechnical facilities, volunteering opportunities and student servicesEmployer sponsored education – serving the education and skillsneeds of employers by equipping students with the skills they needto flourish in the world of workOvercoming social disadvantage – our unique position supportsresearch into links between social disadvantage and educationaloutcomes, and the application of its findings to deliver improvedoutcomesReal World ImpactGlobal outlook – leveraging the Group’s diversity to form internationalpartnerships that provide opportunities for staff and students in a localeconomy and which build reputationInclusive growth – utilising Group research and enterprise expertiseto provide coordinated support to local business at all levels whetherthe need is facilities, technical support or high quality insightBuild community – inspiring and enabling our students, alumni andstaff to engage together and with the local and wider communityto build aspiration, achievement and resilience7
Access toOpportunityLondon South Bank UniversityUN SDGsThe importance of Group pathways, bothdomestic and international, will grow;promoting societal and personal impactthrough education, skills development, research,enterprise and industry. LSBU will provideextracurricular enrichment opportunities to aidsocial capital in our students.We will enhance our impact in South Londonby creating two employer led skills centres/satellite campuses, bringing together the powerof the group to showcase sector specificemployment opportunities and provide theskills that enable individuals to progress theircareer. LSBU Global will become a vehiclefor delivering multi-touchpoint partnerships,replicating our UK offer, including research,enterprise and teaching, creating an importantlocal contribution.We will:Through:1.Embed employer relationships in theGroup supporting 10,000 apprenticesand enabling all students to have theopportunity for a work based experienceOur vision2.Increase targeted support for therecruitment and retention of hard toreach groups including care leavers,military families and students fromlower sociodemographic groupsThrough local and global partnershipswe will create opportunities forindividuals, business and society andseek to remove barriers to success.Our Achievements3.Embrace internationalisation across theGroup, with 25% of students and staffengaging in an international experienceCreated the LSBU Group, a unique educationalfamily, offering career pathways fromsecondary to postgraduate educationTOPRanked Top London Modern for adding value(Economist Aug 2017)4.Establish career based pathwaysso delivering a 100-fold increase inintra-Group progressionRanked Top 200 in the World for Impact(THE Impact Ranking 2020)8Employer Relationships – we willestablish a strategic network of employerrelationships which underpin teaching,research and enterprise across the LSBUGroupGlobal – we will create three LSBUbranded international hubs via overseaspartnerships each with a focus on place,whilst providing global opportunities tothe GroupEducational Pathways – we will developa course portfolio that is available to all,regardless of educational background,that provides a step on step offeducational journey aligned to careerpathways, including the provision of coreskills development via short coursesLocal Partnerships – we will build Groupwide partnerships across South London,aligning our civic engagement activitiesand contributing direct economic benefitsand socio-economic impact through ourstudents, staff and alumniPublic Engagement – we will inform,inspire and involve our communities,local and national stakeholders, creatingopportunities for students, alumni andemployees to enhance their developmentDevelopment of the Group – we willcreate new centres for learning incollaboration with employers and localstakeholders, including a new technicalcollege at Vauxhall, two additionalschools within South Bank Academies andemployer focused skills centresSouth Bank CollegesWith local partners, SBC will develop increasedspecialist and innovative bespoke provisionfor those most at risk of being excluded fromrealising the benefits of education.The Gateway Centre will be a centre ofexcellence in English for Speakers of OtherLanguages (ESOL), literacy, numeracy and digitalskills for young people and adults, supportingprogression to employment or further study.SBC will establish a new vocational collegeand centres of excellence providing increasedaccess to, and participation in, technicaleducation for young people and adults. Thecollege will provide career pathways from level2 through to levels 4 and 5.South Bank AcademiesSBA institutions will become recognised ascareer academies providing expert advice andguidance as well as exposure to employmentsectors. We will look to increase access byopening two new schools to strengthen learnerchoice. Bridges will be further developed toprovide greater ability to move between SBAschools or to SBC at age 14 and 16, enablingleaners to focus on more theoretical routes(A Level), more applied routes (BTEC) orvocational routes (NVQs), based upon learneraptitude and ambition.9
StudentSuccessUN SDGsWe will:1.Be in the top quartile for studentsprogressing to employment or furtherstudy at all levels of educationOur VisionRecognised as a leading organisationfor outstanding practice-led learning,fostering the development of ablegraduates ready to address businessand societal challenges.2.Provide an excellent learning experience,with top quartile resultsOur Achievements3.Enable excellent educational outcomes andprogression (at or above benchmark)Awarded Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)Silver in 2017Named University of the year for GraduateEmployment 2018 and 2019(The Times and The Sunday Times GoodUniversity Guide 2018, 2019)4.Close awarding gaps at all educationallevelsAwarded an Ofsted Good rating for LSBU’sapprenticeship provision (2019) and UAESouth Bank (2017)5.Deliver excellent services to our students,with sector leading (top quartile)satisfaction levelsTOP 50Lambeth College is in the top 50 collegesfor student outcomes (2020)10Through:London South Bank UniversityComplemented by support services and ajourney designed around their needs, LSBUstudents’ educational experience will preparethem for the next step in their education orcareer, and seek to ensure equity of outcomesfor all groups. Their personalised and flexiblestudent journey will allow for blended andapplied learning in small sized teaching groups.Competency-based assessment, will increasinglybe used as a method of assessment. LSBU willreview the most suitable configuration of thelearning experience, informed by pedagogicresearch, which will explore the potential benefitsof block teaching on outcomes.Professional and Technical Curriculum –working with students as partners to supportthe learning experience, we will design aninclusive curriculum that complements thecareers pathways and skills approachLSBU Social Capital Programme – wewill develop social capital throughvolunteering, international exchanges, workbased learning, and by embedding thedevelopment of soft skills in our curriculumdesign, alongside learning in support ofsocial good and, specifically, UN SDGsTechnology Enabled Teaching – we willuse technology to enable a personalisedand flexible approach to learning, whilstcomplementing our professional andtechnical curriculum, with digital skillsembedded. Our students will also haveaccess to industry standard facilities aspart of their learningIndustry Links Embedded in Education– we will align our business links to theeducational journey, with industrysupported course design and workplaceexperience as standard, with enterpriseembedded in the curriculum using theEntreComp frameworkAcademic Development Programme –we will support the development of theskills needed through in-house supportto deliver excellent academic outcomes,particularly in relation to curriculum designand embedding digital in teachingStudent Support and Customer Service– we will offer personalised support thatcomplements the educational journey andprogression to further study/employment;our first-rate customer service will beunderpinned by excellent access toinformation and designed with LSBU Groupstudent needs in mindWellbeing – we will develop a whole-Groupapproach that safely supports individualsand promotes positive mental health acrossall aspects of student and academic lifeAdvice and Guidance – we will adviselearners on careers and future progressionopportunities, for those post-14 and accessto part-time work opportunities throughthe LSBU employment agency post 18South Bank CollegesThe development of students’ English andmaths skills will form an integral componentof all courses. There will be a change in theproportion of level 2 and 3 students graduatingwith level 2 qualifications in English and maths,enabling progression to level 4
Corporate Strategy 2020–2025. Foreword Our Vision To transform lives, communities, businesses and society through applied education and insight. The UK has one of the developed world’s lowest levels of literacy and nu
