SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
Research
Professor Toyin Adisa of UEL’s Royal Docks School Of Business And Law teaches and researches issues in human resources management, employment relations, and reforms in developing and emerging economies. Professor Adisa is particularly interested in African human resource and management practices, as well as contemporary employment relations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Enhancing employee voice - the ability of employees to communicate with their employers and influence matters affecting their work – is a significant focus of his research. In 2023, Professor Adisa co-edited Employee Voice in the Global South and Employee Voice in the Global North, major studies on the barriers to employee voice worldwide.
Teaching
In 2023, UEL was awarded the NEON Widening Access Initiative (Retention and Progression) Award for its Funded Internship Scheme. The NEON Awards recognise outstanding work that is carried out to widen access and participation in higher education. The Funded Internship Scheme targets underrepresented groups who traditionally experience lower graduate outcomes, aiming to bridge the gap and provide equal opportunities for all to succeed in their chosen careers. The scheme provides students with an opportunity to gain work experience, including comprehensive employability support, career coaching, mentoring, workshops, and monthly check-ins. The scheme has been running since 2015 and has supported nearly 700 interns through flexible, paid internships.
Operations
Living Wage Accredited Employer
UEL is proud to have been an Accredited Living Wage Employer since 2011. The real Living Wage is based on the belief that everyone deserves a wage that meets their everyday needs. It is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living, with new Living Wage rates calculated annually using a robust methodology and the best available data. The University was one of the first anchor institutions in east London to become a Living Wage Employer and the first of the post-92 universities to pay a Living Wage to all its employees.
Outreach
UEL’s Bring Your Own Business (BYOB) partnership with The Haberdashers’ Company aims to combat the ‘three-year flop’ faced by many fledgling businesses in London. Aimed at UEL students and alumni who have started their own businesses, the programme offers an opportunity to assess business health and plan for new growth. Each year, £10,000 is awarded to UEL to be distributed among five fledgling businesses, helping them address any teething issues they face. Selected businesses receive £2,000 in equity-free growth funding, funded student intern placements, six months of coaching, support packages, and access to the Haberdashers' Scholars Network.