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UEL’s Femi Bola awarded Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship

Thursday 26 June 2008

Femi Bola, Associate Director of Student Services at the University of East London (UEL) and a leader in the field of student employability, has today been recognised by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) with the announcement of a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship.

Femi, who joined UEL in 2004 as the university’s first Head of Employability, works with businesses and employers, and has introduced a range of successful initiatives to provide students with work experience opportunities, placements and professional support. These were so successful that by 2006, UEL’s Employment Indicator, which measures the number of students in work or further study 6 months after completing their studies, soared to 94%, one of the highest in London.

Femi is passionate about helping students understand the needs of employers. She said: “This is a great honour but the main reward for me is seeing our students go on to get good jobs and do great things in their careers!

“Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds, and many of the skills they need to succeed are not necessarily taught in traditional academic settings. With top employers increasingly using sophisticated assessment processes to cherry-pick graduates, it’s crucial for our students to get a strong sense of what kind of skills they’re expected to show.”

Professor Susan Price, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of East London, said: “This is a thoroughly deserved honour. Femi is a wonderful colleague and friend. Her enthusiasm and commitment are an inspiration to colleagues, students and employers alike, and her work makes a positive difference to the success of our students in all areas.”

Femi has a track record of success including jobs fairs, an award-winning employability scheme with Lewisham College, achieving Investors in People status, and running a successful Business Breakfast club that was sited for best practice by the DfES. In 2007 she pioneered a series of Assessment Centres with top employers in Canary Wharf and at the new Stephen Lawrence Centre.

The HEA’s National Teaching Fellowship Scheme was launched in 2000, is part of an overall programme to raise the status of learning and teaching in Higher Education. Femi will receive her award at an HEA award dinner in September. Only fifty of these highly prestigious, internationally recognised awards are made each year.

Julie Baldry-Currens, Director of Learning and Teaching at UEL, who was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2007, said: “Femi is an inspirational leader and educator, and we are are especially proud because it is unusual for such an award to be made to colleagues whose academic practice is from a service rather than a more traditional academic background.” 

At UEL's 3rd Annual Learning, Teaching and Assessment Conference held today, UEL Teaching Fellowships Awards were awarded to Dr Chrisina Draganova, from the School of Computing and Technology, Jules Cassidy, from the School of Social Science, Media and Cultural Studies and Helen Mitchell, from the Cass School of Education.

For details and pictures contact Daniel Cherry: 020 8223 2194

Patrick Wilson, University of East London, 020 8223 2061 / 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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