Our culture – UAL Careers

Our culture

UAL Treasure Hunt | Photographer: Jieying Shao

Everyone's identity matters

Sustainability

The global climate crisis has inspired many of our staff and students to address sustainability through their work, and as a University we’ve placed the need to live and teach more sustainably at the centre of our mission.

In 2021, we were named the 7th greenest university in the UK – maintaining our position as the country’s highest-ranking arts university in People & Planet’s University League.

Find out more about Sustainability at UAL

Delivering on anti-racism

We are working together to make UAL an anti-racist university. After consulting staff and students, we have developed a comprehensive anti-racism action plan. This sets clear objectives and expectations for us to tackle racial inequality at UAL.

Learn more about our anti-racism strategy

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We value the diversity of all our staff and the enrichment this brings to our community. So we are committed to an inclusive and supportive environment for all who come to work with us.

The University’s strategy and equal opportunities policy sets out our commitment to promote equality and diversity for all staff regardless of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender, gender identity, nationality, race, religious belief (or no belief) and sexual orientation.

Learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UAL

How we support our diverse communities

Valuing Disabled Colleagues

The Valuing Disabled Colleagues programme has set up a Central Workplace Adjustment Fund, briefings on access to work, anonymous monitoring, a workplace adjustment request procedure, guidance for managers, focus groups to review the impact of particular staff policies and a monthly bulletin for staff. UAL has a dedicated Disability, Access and Inclusion Specialist.

The programme has 3 aims:

  • To encourage more staff to tell the University about their impairments/health status and whether adjustments to the workplace are required, to ensure full access and inclusion.
  • To provide managers with guidance, resources and funding to help managers to co-ordinate and implement workplace adjustments.
  • To introduce procedures, systems and communications to enable the University to better monitor, anticipate and plan for the range of access requirements of disabled staff.

The University has a Disabled/Neurodiverse Staff Network (DSN). The DSN is a confidential supportive group which contributes initiatives on disability awareness and events, promotes disability equality, shares good practice and discusses important issues on a range of disability matters across the University.

Building access guides

For full access and route guides to all our sites visit DisabledGo.

Quiet spaces for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers

The University is undertaking a programme of work to improve quiet space provision for the following purposes:

  • Prayer or personal reflection
  • Rest due to pregnancy or disability
  • Breastfeeding and expressing milk
  • Disability or health related requirements

For more information, please visit our Quiet spaces page

Staff considering retirement or reducing hours

The University welcomes people of all ages to come and work with us.

We are supportive of the increasing numbers of our staff who are working beyond ‘customary’ retirement ages and consider their requests to work flexibly, or reduced hours, or to retrain or put themselves forward for new positions. We also offer Pre-Retirement Workshops for staff who wish to gain further insights into managing the transition into retirement, considering their options and planning for the future.

Find out more

Models by Jaz Martell | Photographer: Alys Tomlinson
Candy floss at Staff Summer Party, Chelsea College of Arts | Copyright: University of the Arts London
Animation still | Credit: Alexandra Kostyuk