We’re pledging to secure successful student futures

The University of Essex is joining forces with 21 other leading universities to pledge to develop a Student Futures Manifesto in partnership with our students to tackle the problems caused by the pandemic.

The pledge was made at the launch of the UPP Foundation’s Student Futures Commission report, which recommended the development of a Student Futures Manifesto to act as a blueprint for how universities and students work together to improve the student experience.

In a joint statement the University and the Students’ Union said: “Following a period of extreme uncertainty we need to champion students more than ever, so we’re really proud to join forces with likeminded universities across the country in committing to create a Student Futures Manifesto for Essex.

“The University and the Students’ Union will be working with our students to identify and implement actions that will really make a difference from the very start of the student journey right through to their graduation and the start of their careers.”

The University of Essex will now co-produce with students and publish a series of actions within the six themes the Student Futures Commission’s Final Report.

These are:

1. Support for students before they reach university
2. An induction into university life for each year of study
3. Support for mental health and wellbeing
4. A clear outline of the teaching students will receive and the necessary tools to access it
5. Activities inside and outside the curriculum that build skills, networks and communities
6. A clear pathway towards graduate outcomes

The Student Futures Manifesto will be a public statement of the commitments University of Essex is making and will showcase the positive initiatives being undertaken. It will be co-produced with students and led by the Pro-Vice–Chancellor for Education, Professor Madeline Eacott.

Chair of the UPP Foundation Student Futures Commission, Mary Curnock Cook CBE said: “A Student Futures Manifesto, co-created and co-owned by students and their university, will be a powerful expression of intent about what students need to support successful lives and careers. They will help to rebuild the full student experience through a partnership between universities and their students. It is a testament to the University of Essex and the wider HE sector’s commitment to successful student futures that 22 universities have already taken on this challenge.”

Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation – the charity which established the Commission, said: “The UPP Foundation established the Student Futures Commission to support the sector in light of the disruption everyone has faced during the pandemic. We wanted the Commission to be supportive, constructive and challenging. Student Futures Manifestos are exactly this – a positive call to action to put student needs first.

“We are delighted the University of Essex has made this pledge and expect many more universities to do so in the months ahead.”

The UPP Foundation is a registered charity that offers grants to universities, charities and other higher education bodies.

The UPP Foundation was created in 2016 by University Partnerships Programme (UPP), the UK’s leading provider of on-campus residential and academic accommodation infrastructure.