University of East London Homepage

Mayor of London launches ground-breaking higher education initiative

Thursday 31 March 2011

 

The concept  for a new £33m university building in east London was launched today (Thursday 31 March) by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The project, which is the first of its kind in the capital, is the result of a unique and exciting collaboration between Birkbeck, University of London and the University of East London.

University Square, will be situated in Stratford, will offer a new alternative model of higher education, with flexible part-time and full-time study for adults from across the entire region. The breakfast launch was held at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, and was attended by over 100 local stakeholders, including the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales, local councillors, and other prominent figures from education, politics, and funding agencies.  

The University Square project is the first time two higher education institutions have worked together to create a new shared building. It marks an exciting new stage in the ongoing partnership between two complementary institutions, which began in 2007 when Birkbeck took its part-time evening teaching to UEL’s Romford Road campus in Stratford.

The new building will provide highly-flexible shared teaching spaces for both higher education institutions and their partners. A broad mix of 3,400 adults will study in the building throughout the day and evening, with a wide variety of courses offered by the partners enabling people to study at a level that suits them. University Square will also be made available to local community, business and arts groups, helping to embed it into the ongoing development of Stratford in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and beyond.

Commenting on the plans, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This unique partnership between Birkbeck and UEL will make a vital contribution to higher education in the area, enabling local residents to reskill or upskill, and enhance their employment prospects. A skilled work force will advance the regeneration of east London.”

The project’s innovation in aligning educational delivery with regeneration outputs has already been recognised by considerable financial support from a wide range of funders, including the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), which has provided not only substantial financial support but significant guidance on the project to the two universities.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, said: “We are delighted with this initiative between the two universities. This new facility built in Newham is the first of its kind and will help our residents to develop their skills and careers while highlighting the borough as a beacon for further education.”

The Master of Birkbeck, Professor David Latchman CBE, commented: “This collaboration between UEL and Birkbeck demonstrates that it is possible to build a major new educational facility at a time of budget cuts and economic constraints. University Square Stratford will enable more non-traditional students from east London to enjoy the opportunities of higher education near where they live and work, carrying on George Birkbeck’s original mission of education for all.”

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of East London, Professor Patrick McGhee, said: “All members of the community, regardless of their prior educational attainments, will be able to acquire valuable skills at University Square, which are needed for a rapidly changing local and regional economy. The location of the new building in Stratford’s cultural quarter will make a direct contribution to social and cultural regeneration in the heart of Stratford and the surrounding area.”

Designed by Make architects, the five floor building will make a valuable contribution to the public realm as a much needed new presence on what is currently a dilapidated site in central Stratford. Comprising 8,600 sq ms, orientated round a large, light filled atrium, it will house flexible teaching and performance spaces, as well as academic and administrative offices. The reception area and atrium foyer provide University Square’s central hub, as well as a student advice centre, IT helpdesk, café and a small library. Planning permission was given for the collaborative project in November 2010 and work will start on site in July 2011; the building will be ready for the beginning of the academic year, autumn 2013. 

University Square is expected to make a significant contribution to raising higher education participation rates in east London, which are currently the lowest in the London area. With more than 25,000 jobs predicted to be created in east London over the next 10-15 years, the new education hub will play a key role in providing the skilled work force that regional employers need.

ENDS

Note to editors

For media enquiries, contact Neil Aitken, Media and Publicity Officer at Birkbeck (020 7380 3108, n.aitken@bbk.ac.uk), or Chris Underwood, Senior Media Officer at UEL (020 8223 2062, c.underwood@uel.ac.uk). Images of the building and the launch event are available on request.

 

The University of East London (UEL)

UEL is a global learning community with over 23,000 students from more than 120 countries. Its vision is to achieve recognition both nationally and internationally as a forward-thinking and pioneering university. It aims to be the number one university for sport in London within the next four years and the number one university for Women’s Entrepreneurship in Europe by the end of the decade.

Renowned for its contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through its research and scholarships, UEL has a strong track record in widening participation and working with industry. Over the last ten years the university has invested over £170 million in its campuses at Docklands and Stratford in facilities that benefit its students, staff and communities.

UEL is proud of its diversity and committed to new ways of learning and research so its students can enhance their employability.

Birkbeck, University of London

Renowned for its research excellence Birkbeck is a vibrant centre of academic excellence, where over 90% of Birkbeck academics are research active. Founded in 1823, the College has an unparalleled track record of successfully teaching mature students part-time, face-to-face in the evenings. Birkbeck enables 19,000 students from diverse social and educational backgrounds to participate in a broad range of higher education.

Its world class research has placed Birkbeck among the top 200 universities in the world, according to the 2010-11 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The College has been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research into brain and cognitive development and in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise Birkbeck research was placed in the top 25% of multi-faculty institutions in the UK. Birkbeck has consistently performed well in the National Student Survey.

In 2009 Birkbeck won the London Education Partnership Awards for Individual Organisational Impact for its partnership work in Stratford with education providers, community and voluntary organisations and local businesses.

For more information go to www.bbk.ac.uk

The London Borough of Newham

Newham is based in the heart of East London and a host borough for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It’s renowned for its fast and efficient planning process and has been instrumental in the delivery of the University Square project.

The borough has one of the youngest populations in the country, with two in five residents aged less than 25 years, it also has excellent transport links and a young, energetic and increasingly skilled workforce.

The borough is being radically transformed with a host of regeneration projects including Stratford City, the Canning Town and Custom House development and the Royal Docks enterprise zone.

For more information on the developments taking place in Newham contact:

Kristianah Fasunloye on 020 3373 4728 or via email Kristianah.fasunloye@newham.gov.uk

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.

Information for screenreader users:

For a general description of these pages and an explanation of how they should work with screenreading equipment please follow this link: Link to general description

For further information on this web site’s accessibility features please follow this link: Link to accessibility information