Everyone's identity matters
Our strategy
In 2022, we launched our new 10-year strategy ‘The world needs creativity’. Creativity is a skill vital across the economy and society. In years to come, the world we hope to see will be more creative and innovative. Our strategy, developed by and with our staff, has three Guiding Policies. We identified the challenges and opportunities that are most important to UAL and our future, and the guiding policies are our response to each of these issues in turn.
- To give our students the education they need to flourish in a changing world
- To bring a high-quality creative education to more students than ever before
- To change the world through our creative endeavour
To give our students the skills they need, we must change the way we teach and deliver a rich and rewarding student experience. By doing so, in partnership with our staff and students, we will ensure our students are equipped to work in sectors beyond the creative industries. Our students will have the careers they want, the economy will have the creative skills it needs, and we will build a better world where people across disciplines, like the arts and sciences, share ideas far and wide and work together to solve common challenges.
Sustainability
The wellbeing of our planet is of unparalleled importance to humanity’s future. And yet it is under threat. All universities – like all organisations and all individuals – have a duty to respond: to put themselves on the side of solutions instead of continuing harm.
UAL has made a commitment to becoming a Social Purpose University. We are pledging to direct our activities to maximise the contribution we can make to long-term wellbeing for all humans and the planet. This is a whole-of-university commitment: it informs our teaching, our operations, our research, our advocacy and the meaning we give to the work we do each day.
Find out more about Sustainability at UAL
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to creating a fairer and more inclusive institution for everyone in our University community. Equality, diversity and inclusion are integral parts of our University’s strategy, values and activities.
We support everyone with all characteristics, inclusive of age, disability, gender reassignment (gender identity), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UAL
Staff networks
There are a range of staff networks for staff to join, including the Disabled and Neurodiverse Staff Network, Group for the Equality of Minority Staff, LGBTQ+ Staff Network, and Parents & Carers Network. These networks serve as supportive spaces and ways for staff to organise and progress change through their representative channels.
Learn more about staff networks at UAL
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
Disability and neurodiversity
UAL is a member of the Business Disability Forum and is at Level 1 of the Disability Confident scheme. We work with AccessAble to provide full access guides to all of our sites, and additionally have comprehensive guidance for staff on workplace adjustments.
Learn more about disability and neurodiversity inclusion work
LGBTQ+ inclusion
UAL is a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme and in 2022 received a Gold Employers Award from the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Learn more about our commitments to LGBTQ+ inclusion
Religion and belief
UAL holds a termly Religion and Belief Champions Forum, which is chaired by a member of UAL’s Executive Board and is made up of staff and students committed to inclusion with respect to religion, belief or no belief.
