Getting Results

Following on from We Are Together, which highlighted our members’ contributions during the pandemic, Getting Results focuses on how universities will help the country bounce back stronger in the next five years.  

Campaign launch

Our launch in May 2021 aimed to showcase the key role UK universities are set to play in the economic and social recovery from Covid-19.

We set out how university partnerships can create thousands of jobs, new businesses, and prosperity across the UK over the coming years. Universities renewed their commitment to work closely with a wide range of organisations and seek out new partnerships nationally and locally, to deliver the greatest impact possible.

Alongside our campaign work, we published ‘Universities and the UK’s economic recovery: an analysis of future impact’, a report by the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE).

Partnerships between universities and small and medium-sized enterprises

For the next phase in October 2021, we showcased how universities are working closely with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to boost economic growth across the country. We aimed to remind politicians about the importance of universities in building the future workforce, levelling up and enterprise. 

We featured success stories and insights on our website and across our social media channels.

Shared Prosperity Fund

In March 2022, we launched a phase of campaigning promoting the importance of the Shared Prosperity Fund to universities and their local communities.

We urged the UK Government to bridge the funding gap while it established a replacement by 2025 for the EU Shared Prosperity Fund, which funds local skills and training partnerships.

Graduate skills

In April 2022, we brought back #GettingResults with the launch of a new report: Busting graduate job myths.

The report tackled common misperceptions that there are too many graduates, not enough jobs for them, and that some degrees have little value for employers.

We found that employer demand for UK graduates is significant, had increased year-on-year, and was likely to grow in the future as the country has a skills shortage.

Growth and opportunity

In summer 2022, we promoted the vital role universities have to play in levelling up their local communities.

Our October 2022 report, Our universities: generating growth and opportunity, made several recommendations for how universities, governments, and employers could work together to create jobs, innovation, and economic growth to make life better for everyone, especially communities in greatest need.

In March 2023 we followed up on this work with our briefing, University Enterprise Zones: boosting local business, building on our recommendation for the government to establish a UEZ in every university in England.