FOREWORD IMPACT REPORT LEVELLING UP LEVELLING UP
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3 CONTENTS RtForewordHonJustine Greening Professor Karen Stanton The Journey to the Levelling Up Goals The role of Universities in levelling up and meeting the Levelling Up Goals Impact Assessment Framework Part Activity1: Audit - Mapping Solent University’s existing work against the Levelling Up Goals Part Inputs2:- Quantifying the resource invested into current activity by Goal Part Output3: - Identifying the direct results of Solent University’s current activities Part Outcomes4: - Measuring the impact of the outputs against specific goals 1 Contents432::::
They were drawn up to unite Parliament, the private sector, communities and civil society in addressing this great challenge facing Britain. They provide a clear set of objectives to level up communities, ensuring ours is a nation where people can get on in life unhindered by bias, background or circumstance. Within this fight, universities have a huge role to play. They are the anchor institutions creating clear pathways to social mobility, upskilling and garnering individuals with vital workplace, academic and life experiences and setting them up for Theysuccess.offera
Meanwhile, COVID-19 has heightened the demand for opportunity creation and inward investment – both purposeful by-products of university activities.
Solent University is making real change on the ground in Southampton, a city I know well. Through collaboration with others in the city, it is putting levelling up and making a difference to the local community at the top of its agenda.
Rt Hon Justine Greening Founder of the Levelling Up Goals and Former Secretary of State for Education 1 : Foreword
The pandemic has raised some existential questions about the future of universities. Is remote learning here to stay? Will the invaluable programme of real-world, workplace experiences be fully restored? Are courses shifting to meet the needs of the post-COVID world? Is the general appetite for global experiences as strong as before?
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The pandemic has effectively levelled down our country, making levelling up not only more urgent, but even harder.
Through its leading work around entrepreneurship and extending enterprise, Solent is ensuring that its graduates are ready for the world of work. Importantly these graduates are also ready to start their own businesses, grow the local economy and become employers of the future. By committing to measure its impact against the Levelling Up Goals, Solent University is creating a powerful and pioneering shift towards becoming a truly purpose-led organisation.
While solutions may vary, the Levelling Up Goals can transcend party politics and set clear objectives for the recovery we need to achieve in our Levellingcommunities.upisultimately about change on the ground in communities up and down the country. Universities have the reach and resources to help drive this change, as this report demonstrates.
global outlook too, helping graduates to fulfil their potential on the world stage. Those with levelling up high on their agenda also give young people in communities where life opportunities are limited, an insight into careers that perhaps would otherwise have seemed Theyunreachable.mustalso support their students over the many barriers to social mobility, including financial hardship, mental health and wellbeing challenges and domestic pressures which may detract from studies.
The aim of the Levelling Up Goals is to galvanise all parties with the power to close the opportunity gap.
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Our students’ success will be proof of the power of education, research and knowledge exchange, and the true value of a university to its students, staff and community.
Foreword
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Moving forward, we will be using this framework to continue to measure our social impact outcomes and hold ourselves accountable to the goals we have set. I am confident our role will continue to grow – using education to advance knowledge and promote understanding and creating new opportunities for the benefit of all.
The education and experiences we provide will change our students’ lives and, through their work and achievements, make the world a better and more sustainable place. We are focused on ensuring we provide our learners with the best possible skillset to enable them to enter the world of work, set up their own business or to further a career in education with the necessary skills. And we know the world of work is changing, so it is our responsibility to ensure our curriculum reflects what employers will need in the future.
The mission for Solent’s new 2025 Strategy is to ensure our graduates leave us work-ready, worldready and future-ready - with a commitment to social justice and equality of opportunity.
Professor Karen Stanton Vice Chancellor of Solent University, Southampton
To deliver this will demand teamwork across the university and working in partnership with external stakeholders across the city, region and beyond. These partnerships are a valued asset of Solent, and we are committed to strengthening them over the coming years. This report has been invaluable in guiding our future planning and implementation, allowing us to track where most progress is being made and where we can continue to focus our efforts in order to make the most impact.
We are delighted it has recognised our commitment to levelling up, both locally and further afield, and our key strengths in extending enterprise, offering the right advice and experiences to benefit our students and partners, and our focus on the health and wellbeing of our university community.
As a modern university, with close ties to local, national and international industry, we are ready to play a key role in the Government’s levelling-up agenda.
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Up Goals
8 JOURNEYTHE PostdestinationsPositive16+3 schoolSuccessfulyears2infoundationsStrongEarlyYears1 Right advice and experiences4 Fair progressioncareer6recruitmentOpen5 Good health and well-being8savingsaccessWideningto& credit 7 Closing the digital divide10enterpriseExtending9 Building homes & communitiessustainable12forInfrastructureopportunity11 Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion 14transitiontheHarnessenergy13
In 2015, as Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening MP led the UK delegation to the United Nations (UN). Along with 184 international partners, she helped to establish the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2017, the SDGs were made more ‘actionable’ by a UN resolution adopted by the General Assembly which identified specific targets for each goal, along with indicators used to measure progress towards each target. These 17 interlinked, global goals were designed to be ‘a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all’. They marked a shift from the previously established Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. In contrast to the MDGS, the SDGs were nationally-owned, country-led and targeted wealthy, developed nations as well as developing countries. The SDGs emphasised the interdependent environment, social and economic aspects of development by centralising the role of sustainability. As Secretary for State, Justine recognised how useful a common set of accessible but ambitious objectives could be in galvanising action to effect change. Since then the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated many of the problems relating to social inequality in the UK. The recovery is a chance for the United Kingdom to address these issues and level up but that requires updated and specific goals in order to outline, inspire and measure progress. The Purpose Coalition, of which the Solent University is a key member, aims to improve social mobility in the UK and has responded to this challenge with the launch of their own Levelling Up Goals in February 2021. These new Goals build on the foundations laid by the UN’s SDGs by outlining 14 clear goals, and draw on expertise provided by academia and businesses which has been applied to the 6 Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, to the Levelling
6 July 2017 2 : The Journey
9 unique challenges facing the UK in levelling up. They focus on key life stages and highlight the main issues that need to be resolved in order to create a level playing field for all in this country. The Levelling Up Goals are intended to guide how the urgent ambition to level up the UK can actually be achieved. The impact of the work carried out to do this can, and should, be measurable.
Sub-goals with quantifiable targets and measurements against which progress can be charted within the 14 goals are being developed by the Purpose Coalition in partnership with universities across the UK. Southampton was the first city to commit to using these metrics as a place, showing the forward thinking nature of the leaders within the city. Solent University is a key part of that work and has now committed to go even further with its own Levelling Up Impact Report. Further metrics will create a more transparent and measurable framework with which to monitor and subsequently address problems of social mobility and inequality. The Levelling Up Goals are designed to look at the outcomes of CSR strategies and measures that organisations operate. Many organisations are doing outstanding work and making important contributions to society but are still measuring this via inputs – a measure that focuses on pounds, pennies and numbers rather than real impact on human lives. Crucially, these Goals are a shared framework. Justine and the wider Purpose Coalition believe that with a common understanding and objectives, there can be action that drives change on the ground. Distinct entities, including universities, businesses, policy-makers, communities and NGOs, can work together, with the shared Goals being a uniting and motivating foundation for progress. As the problems which cause social inequality in the UK are interlinked, it seems that the response to these problems must also be collaborative. The Purpose Coalition has encouraged businesses, universities and public sector organisations to share their own best practice with others so they are not just demonstrating their own commitment, but creating a shift towards purpose-led organisations. The Goals can encourage an extension of this cooperative exchange of information which can be used to help level up Britain.
Solent University’s levelling up drive comes from its mission to enable learners to be “work-ready, worldready and future-ready”.
3. Excels at providing its learning community with the confidence, skills, knowledge and experience they need to successfully pursue fulfilling lives and life-changing careers.
Embedded within every course is an element of entrepreneurship. While the concept of what it means to be enterprising may vary from subject to subject, a universal approach is taken to encourage any start-ups that emerge.
2. Provides an outstanding student experience through exceptional staff and facilities.
As stated in its 2025 strategy, the university aims to set students up for success by being a university 1.which:Transforms the lives of people from all backgrounds, through learning that is relevant to the real world.
3 : Solent University and the role of Universities in levelling up and meeting the Levelling Up Goals
Closely tracking employer requirements is integral to Solent’s role in levelling up. Partly, the university achieves this through advisory boards for specific subject areas and disciplines.
The university delivers a world class, globally renowned suite of courses that feed into sea-faring industries including commercial shipping and those related to superyacht products and services.
Additionally, each course is accompanied by an internship or placement opportunity. These are born out of strong, mutually beneficial relationships with local employers. Also helping to ensure students are work, world and future-ready are its higher and degree level apprenticeships. The university also recently received government support to expand its offering to higher technical qualifications. Through its extensive work in fostering entrepreneurship in and around Southampton, the university has been hugely influential in ensuring setting up an enterprise is a realistic and popular career choice among young people in the area.
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Wraparound support comes via ‘Solent Futures’ – a programme which provides resources, advice and support designed to help students set up their own business. In the last annual count before the COVID-19 pandemic, the university recorded 163 small businesses being set up by its students.
UNIVERSITIESOFROLETHE
This approach is particularly evident in its influence as a catalyst for entrepreneurialism; with the university currently ranked as the third most successful university in the UK in terms of encouraging students and graduates to set up businesses.
Its ability to achieve work-readiness, meanwhile, can be seen in a wide range of sectors, including its speciality in maritime courses and building successful cadet careers.
Each brings together representatives of the public, private and third sectors, including voluntary sector organisations.
4. Delivers a unique curriculum shaped around inspiring industrial partnerships, ground-breaking professional insights, knowledge exchange, and research.
5. Makes a material impact on environmental sustainability.
Mujeeb, who has an engineering background, has worked at senior levels in high growth tech start-ups and held interim director roles focused on strategy and market development.
Solent’s ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ is Mujeeb Rahman, who has been advising businesses since 2007. He specialises in helping to commercialise strategic visions and drive competitiveness, optimisation and growth.
As an angel investor, periodically co-chairing two angel investor networks in southern England, he has also raised seed funding in the US working at a tech start-up. His expertise spans Europe, the Middle East and USA. As well as encouraging entrepreneurship, Solent aims to develop a culture of leadership generally among its students.
start-up Inspirationambitions.andexpertise from entrepreneurial alumni are important factors in the university’s success as an engine-room of new business activity.
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A highlight of the university’s outreach work with local schools, meanwhile, is the Step into Success programme. Targeted at children aged five to 13, it aims to raise aspirations and attainment, as well as catalyse progression into higher education.
Its scope is wide ranging but includes supporting young people with GCSE exam preparation and raising awareness of the importance of focusing on Otherstudies.outreach efforts which are directly linked to levelling up include Health for Her, a health and wellbeing-based initiative for women from a BAME background hosted within the university’s sports facilities. During the pandemic extra funds were allocated to the programme to enable the issuing of gym and exercise equipment to participants at home via virtual sessions.
Although Solent’s reach is global - including, but not exclusively, through its maritime prowess – the university is embedded within local communities and recognises the importance of having a positive impact upon them. This commitment is reaffirmed through the University’s Civic Charter.
Many students come to the university from widening access areas that might not otherwise have considered this path. While the university has an ongoing focus on supporting them though and beyond their studies, during the pandemic this effort was stepped up. Digital literacy and ensuring students had access to the equipment they needed were priority considerations. The organisation also invested significantly in the software needed to maintain a high standard of learning despite the challenges of the pandemic.
This drive is supported by its relationship with Business South, a business network covering central southern England. Business leaders from the network regularly liaise with students, giving up their time to provide advice, discuss opportunities and share their own personal Theexperience.university is also an active player in the Business South Champions programme, which provides a collaborative platform for businesses, educators and public sector organisations on which to work together towards economic and sector development in the Central South region. Solent also supports business leaders themselves, through its involvement in delivering the Help to Grow programme.
This sees the University’s Business School work with SMEs to develop their leadership skills, make their business more resilient and help them to expand.
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The project teaches health literacy, encourages a healthier lifestyle, supports behaviour change, boosts confidence and increases social cohesion. The programme encourages healthy eating as well as weight loss due to the high risk for obesity development and comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes which is more prevalent in the BAME demographic.
Three students have also benefited from the project which, through real world learning, provides opportunities to learn new skills, gain confidence and improve their employability. Two of the students have already secured a job opportunity based upon the work experience gained through the project - with one due to soon start work at Watford FC Community Sport and Education Trust as their Lifestyles Project Officer.
Hayley said: “As I grew in confidence, I became more adaptable, which improved my employability. My confidence continued to increase when I received positive feedback from the ladies. Knowing the ladies are enjoying the sessions, gives me a sense of accomplishment.” H4H has been awarded further funding from the ‘This Girl Can Community Fund’ so that the project can be delivered across the city, continuing to benefit both the local community and students.
Solent University’s Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Sciences offers a number of programmes and activities that support staff, students and the wider community.
Thanks to the University’s Covid Response Fund, equipment for the participants to take home and keep was purchased, so they could exercise at home throughout the pandemic. Having the equipment at home enabled the programme to continue by switching to online provision through a Facebook Group. The funding enabled 33 women to continue on their health and fitness journey throughout the second and third lockdowns.
This includes Health for Her (H4H), a weight loss programme designed to provide an appropriate and safe exercise environment to facilitate an increase in physical activity participation for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic women from low socio-economic areas of ProvidingSouthampton.anall-female, non-intimidating environment which caters for cultural and religious restrictions, it has so far enabled women to experience and enjoy a variety of sports and physical activity.
Case studies Health 4 Her Another, Health, Nutrition and Exercise student Hayley James, has secured her dream role as Lifestyle Advisor with Onside – a charity that provides support services to vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community in Worcestershire and Herefordshire.
STUDIESCASE
During 2020/21, Solent Business School was one of 20 business schools working with the Chartered Association of Business Schools to deliver the specialised Government funded programme for leaders of small businesses. Part of a £20million government-provided package to help small businesses, it has already helped thousands across WorkingEngland. with businesses across the southern region, from Cambridge to Truro, Solent Business School has supported over 140 businesses which actively enrolled on the programme, of which more than half are CarolineHampshire-based.Walsh,Director of Solent Business School, says: “We’ve received really positive feedback from the organisations who have participated in the programme. They have said that it is helping them think differently about their business and how they can emerge from the pandemic stronger and more Toresilient.”aidbusiness resilience and future growth in the current climate, the Small Business Leadership Programme has created peer groups that drive innovation and help small business owners in making Leadership programmes to help small business grow the key decisions that will lead to sustainable “Thegrowth.events industry has been so severely impacted by Covid-19, however the Small Business Leadership Programme at Solent Business School has provided me with the ideal platform to reassess our focus with a view to ensuring we remain resilient in order to survive these challenging times,” says Sarah Moss, Director, Jack Up Events. Wendy Moffat, Director, John A Ray & Associates Ltd goes on to say, “We provide executive car services to the business community, consequently the effect of the pandemic has been significant. Participating in this course has provided the opportunity to take a critical look at our business model and how we operate. More importantly, it is giving us the tools to make changes right now, not just to see us through these challenging times, but to create a vision for the long-term future success of our Buildingbusiness.”onthe success of this programme the Solent’s Business School is now helping to deliver the 90% Government subsidised Help to Grow Management programme.
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It is important to note that it would be difficult for any one organisation to work effectively towards every single one of the Levelling Up Goals. As more 4 :
15 ASSESSMENT PostdestinationsPositive16+3schoolSuccessfulyears2infoundationsStrongEarlyYears1 Right advice and experiences4 Close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child Every developmentattainmentpotentialachievingsuccessfullychildtheirinand Every young person and adult to have the choice of a high quality route in trainingemployment,education,or Access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock person’sthroughoutopportunityalife
Higher and Apprenticeships.Degreeand secondary school partnerships. into programme.Success’ Careers advice. Head Start SolentProgramme.MentoringFutures.
Primary
‘Step
Many organisations have strong commitments to traditional Corporate Social Responsibility and the ESG agenda. We have already seen through Solent University’s involvement with the wider piece of work that the city of Southampton is undertaking, that it is committed to levelling up both in the region and further afield. This section of this report will map several of the Solent University’s specific initiatives against the Levelling Up Goals, to track where progress is being made and where efforts could be redirected or better targeted.
Assessment of Solent University in the context of the Levelling Up Goals organisations adopt the goals, it could be more efficient for individual organisations to focus on particular areas where they can make a real impact, rather than making a superficial impact across many goals. However, the activity of universities is inherently place-based, rather than sector specific, and therefore the higher education sector is uniquely positioned to make tangible differences across many of the goals. Below is a list of the Levelling Up Goals, their definitions, and our team’s assessment of how Solent University is currently meeting them. These have been assessed through a document review process that takes account of previous commitments, future strategies, implementation of statutory requirements, and the University’s research; we then map the amount of activity done by Solent University across each of the Levelling Up Goals. We can then progress to measuring specific impact across these activities.
16 ASSESSMENT infrastructuretheDevelopingphysical that connects people and places opportunityto Creating affordable quality homes so people can live in safe and communitiessustainableBuildinghomes&sustainablecommunities 12forInfrastructureopportunity11 The Sowlent Food Garden. Fair progressioncareer6 savingsaccessWideningto& credit 7 Opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections Widening access to responsible credit and closing the savings gap Improving mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall wellbeing to allow people to fulfil their potential Extending private enterprise communitiestoentrepreneurshipandallpeopleand Closing the digital divide in technology access, opportunities,skills, and infrastructure Good health and well-being8 Closing the digital divide10enterpriseExtending9 Career pathways for all staff. Range of health and wellbeing benefits. Health 4 Programme.CommunityHer.Innovation Support for students and graduates wanting to start a SolentSolentbusiness.Creatives.BusinessSchool. Solent community.availableDigitalTeachingLearningInstitute.technologiestothelocal recruitmentOpen5 Careers and professions open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible, and open recruitment practices admissionsContextualisedpolicy.
17 Ensure that the energy transition is fair and theopportunitiescreatesacrossUK Create a level playing field on opportunity for all, to fully Britain’sunleashpotential for the firstAchievetime equality, through diversity & inclusion 14transitiontheHarnessenergy13 Women Achievers. Aurora Programme. Staff networks for diverse groups. Net Zero target. Part of Southampton City Council’s Green City Charter.
Encouraging enterprise and entrepreneurship is at the heart of Solent University’s strategy. There is a range of support for students or recent graduates who are interested in starting a business. Enterprise is embedded in courses across the university alongside employability, and Solent also has an entrepreneur in residence who helps to mentor students and advise them on business ideas.
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Through its Access and Widening Participation team, Solent University provides advice and support to young people thinking about the next step on their education journey. Solent students and graduates have access to Solent Futures and Solent Futures Online to find relevant placements, work experience and employment opportunities.
The University offers a range of health and wellbeing benefits to its staff and student community, such as cycle to work schemes and free eyesight tests. Through the Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Sciences the university offers a number of programmes and activities that support staff and students, but also importantly the wider community.
StrengthsActivityKey
The Community Innovation Programme gives students the chance to use sport to improve the lives of those within the local community. well-being
Strength 1: Goal 4 Strength 3: Goal 9 Strength 2: Goal 8 Right advice and Extendingexperiencesenterprise Good health and
Has the organisation helped to allow every child to successfully achieve their potential in attainment and development?
• Employers advertising graduate vacancies are linked to targeted courses.
Does the organisation support young people and adults to have the choice of a high-quality route in education, employment, or training?
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The University’s ‘Step into Success’ programme supports Y12-13 through a range of events, interactions and workshops. The focus is on supporting students from widening participation backgrounds.
Solent University targets school leavers through zonal work, working with schools and colleges to attend and deliver careers events, academic talks, subject specific activity.
Has the organisation helped to close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child?
infoundationsStrongEarlyYears1 schoolSuccessfulyears2 5 : Audit
Through the Southampton Education Forum, Solent University has partnerships with various primary and secondary schools, and is an active member of the Southampton Education Forum. The University has ten formal working relationships with secondary schools in Southampton and three formal relationships with primary schools in Southampton. The University also engages with other schools from other areas including Havant (two formal partnerships) and Portsmouth.
Solent University chairs the Southampton Cooperative Learning Trust (a partnership of 7 primary/secondary schools).
Agreements are in place with partner schools and colleges, facilitating progression to Solent University from feeder colleges with a L4/L5 offer, allowing suitably qualified students to effectively ‘top-up’ their degrees at Solent.
• A dedicated jobs database, Solent Futures Online, is run which is exclusive to current Solent students.
• The University offers a traditional one-to-one careers guidance service.
Solent offers Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in the following areas; chartered management, construction, engineering, healthcare, and digital.
Solent delivers a variety of outreach activities through its ‘Step into Success’ Programme which focus on raising aspirations, attainment raising and progression to higher education, with the national curriculum and the careers strategy in mind. These include initiatives such as XLR8 health and wellbeing programme, My Solent Story Assembly, WOW Assembly (including STEM) and Pop Up University.
PostdestinationsPositive16+3
• The University runs a mentoring scheme where students are matched with employers in their industry sector.
Solent University offers a range of support services to those who are nearing graduation.
The University runs a Head Start Mentoring programme, working with a small cohort of learners over a sustained period of time (six months). Qualified staff provide one-to-one mentoring around making the next steps to higher education. Student ambassadors support activities by talking about their experience from a role model’s
Are careers and professions open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible, and open recruitment practices?
Theperspective.University’s employability service, Solent Futures, helps students find and apply for relevant placements, offering practical advice and drawing on their national network of employers.
The University is supporting Eastleigh College in their pursuit of supporting their 19+ National Skills Fund learners, by facilitating progression onto several suitable programmes at Solent. These include progression through qualifications such as the AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting.
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Does the organisation offer opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections?
Solent University has an established contextualised admissions policy. Contextual admissions are available to a range of young people, including; those from areas of low socio-economic status and/or high deprivation, care leavers/children looked after, those with a disability, young carers or refugees.
Solent Futures Professional Mentoring Programme - The Focus Programme is a professional mentoring scheme for students. The programme is open to second year Solent students who identify as female. Students are matched with a Professional Mentor from a wide range of sectors, with the aim of helping mentees with their employability. All staff at the University are assigned a career pathway. Providing opportunities to recognise and develop the talents, skills and experiences of people which enables them to fulfil their potential. Academic and Professional Service pathways have been established and enable individuals to undertake self-reflection and plan future learning and development.
Right advice and experiences 5
4 recruitmentOpen
Fair progressioncareer6
In addition to this, Solent Futures Online is a bespoke careers and jobs website for all Solent students and graduates. The website provides students with the opportunity to browse for jobs from any sector of work. It also contains a vast amount of career advice, programmes and tips on any employability topic, including building a CV, CV 360, mock interviews, preparing for work, and more.
Does the organisation provide access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock opportunity through a person’s life?
Members of the Access and Widening Participation team are CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) certified and provide sessions on careers advice, expertise and workshops to partner schools and colleges, throughout Y7-13.
Status Activity
Status Activity savingsaccessWideningto& credit 7 Good health and
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•Including:Better
• Through the Community Innovation Programme (CIP), Solent students develop their own community innovative projects – using sport, health, coaching or physical activity to engage communities, improve lives and address social issues providing a valuable link to the community. To date, students have already delivered 150+ innovations through the CIP engaging with over 2000 participants, helping local schools, hard- to-reach groups, the elderly population, sports clubs and youth
The University works closely with local mental health charity, Solent Mind, with a series of training and development workshops delivered for staff. The University also participates in national and international awareness days relevant to mental health and selected Solent Mind as it’s charity of the year in 2020.
Solent University’s Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Sciences offers a number of programmes and activities that support staff, students and the wider community.
• Health 4 Her (H4H) is a weight loss programme designed to provide an appropriate and safe exercise environment to facilitate an increase in physical activity participation for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic women from low socioeconomic areas of Southampton. H4H is currently being delivered online via a Facebook group but will return to face to face delivery when is it safe to do so.
In 2018 the University launched its ‘Vision for Mental Health and Wellbeing 2018 - 2025’. The University offers a range of health and wellbeing benefits to its staff and student community. This includes staff discounted use of the onsite sports and fitness facilities, a cycle to work scheme enabling staff to purchase a new bike and accessories up to the value of £1000 and a series of Bike Doctor workshops, enhancing bike safety and maintenance. Staff can access a free eyesight test once every two years and the University’s Employment Assistance Programme system provides external support and advice to colleagues on a range of matters.
8 AUDIT
Does the organisation improve mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall well-being to allow people to fulfil their potential?
Year, Better Me (BYBM) - an online initiative for Solent University staff members to provide a holistic approach to overall physical health and mental wellbeing. Staff members are able to choose to join a staff only private Facebook group or register to receive a weekly newsletter.
•groups.Solent University has been an active partner of the ABP Southampton Marathon for over 5 years and through the partnership delivers several public engagement and knowledge transfer activities. well-being
Does the organisation help widen access to responsible credit and close the savings gap?
Business advice is popular among graduates and amounted to 40% of those seeking support in the academic year 20/21.
Solent University supports students who want to freelance or start a business with several options for those commencing their journey to establish businesses that want to scale up.
Enterprise is embedded in courses across the university alongside employability. The University has an entrepreneur in residence who has been funded by the Royal Society for 2 years - he works primarily on mentoring students and graduates who are seeking to scale up their business ideas. Solent runs hackathons, enterprise competitions and has a thriving Enactus society focusing on social enterprise.
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Students are able to learn how to be a freelancer by offering their services through Solent Creatives, a creative agency that matches up creative students with local and national freelancing opportunities. As well as having an opportunity to have a live project to add to their portfolio, they learn how to communicate with clients, to invoice, to take a brief and respond to feedback and their tax liabilities.
Solent supports graduates or students who start their own business with one-to-one advice, through the curriculum and with practical help such as business space or initial funding.
Status Activity
• In 2020 Solent was shortlisted in the Outstanding Support for Students category in the Times Higher Education Awards. The University was recognised for its work introducing a radical new approach to therapy which has drastically reduced waiting times, empowered students and encouraged therapists to do things differently.
Recognising the need to continue to develop and extend the breadth of support available to the student body, and make it more accessible, Solent University’s Therapy and Mental Health Team introduced their own interpretation of the radical Single Session Therapy (SST) model.
Solent University is currently 3rd in the HE-BCI league table (used to track graduate business start ups) with 155 graduate business start-ups. The latest data shows an increase of 6% in the last year.
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The University’s Solent Business School is recognised for its role in supporting small business growth and development. The School holds the Small Business Charter and has recently supported over 140 businesses to survive and thrive post Covid-19 through the Small Business Leadership Programme. The online delivery programme saw a range of businesses participate, pivoting their business model and providing qualitative feedback on their experience.
enterpriseExtending
This model’s introduction has resulted in a 68% increase in the number of students accessing the service, alongside a 62% decrease in waiting times. Meaning more students are getting help when they need it. Good health and well-being8
Does the organisation work to extend private enterprise and entrepreneurship to all people and communities?
Solent has an online course to help students and graduates to prepare a business plan that they can use to apply for seed funding for their enterprise.
Advice focuses on the practical issues that business start-ups and owners encounter. Solent also offers seed funding to kick start a business and students can apply for up to 3 years after they graduate and they are supported with indefinite on-going business advice.
Is the organisation working to close the digital divide in technology access, skills, opportunities, and infrastructure?
The Sowlent Food Garden is an allotment in the heart of the city, situated next to Solent Sports Complex on East Park Terrace. Run by the Sowlent Student Society and Staff Garden Club, the Food Garden provides a space for volunteers to grow fruit and vegetables, and an array of fresh herbs. The Sowlent initiative is open to all staff and students and encourages everyone to take a break from work and study, to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits of community gardening.
The University hosts a variety of digital and technical equipment, enabling local communities to benefit from this provision. Throughout the pandemic Solent has made its digital technologies available to the local community, enabling Southampton Pride and the Unity 101 Community Awards to go ahead.
Is the organisation developing the physical infrastructure that connects people and places to opportunity?forInfrastructureopportunity11
23 AUDIT
Closing the digital divide10
Digital is a growth sector for Southampton, and Solent University is working with the City Council on the pilot of the Digital Skills Programme, offering local businesses a free digital health checkup and support on embedding digital within their business.
The University is part of Southampton City Council’s e-scooter trial and hosts a rack of e-scooters at East Park Terrace campus for staff, students and members of the public to hire.
The University works closely with Hampshire Constabulary and forms part of the Safer Streets working group. The group has recently commissioned several initiatives to enhance community safety. The University funds Operation Studious which aims to reduce crime in student neighbourhoods and enhance access to the police force. This has been maintained throughout the pandemic with the police force pro-actively talking with the student community in halls.
Status Activity
A dedicated Solent Learning Teaching Institute supports the academic and student community in how to effectively utilise technologies. As part of the £33m investment in the Spark building a dedicated learning and development training programme was established for staff to enable them to build confidence in using the new equipment.
Is the organisation helping people live in quality, affordable homes and enabling them to live in safe and sustainable communities?
Building homes & communitiessustainable12
Status Activity
Is the organisation ensuring that the energy transition is fair and creates opportunities across the UK?
transitiontheHarnessenergy13
The University has set a target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The route to delivering net zero in the coming decade will be outlined in a new Carbon Management Plan (CMP) in 2021. The CMP will identify projects and actions for reducing emissions across every area of the University’s operations, including the carbon footprint of business travel, commuting and procurement Theactivities.EastPark Terrace campus is connected to Southampton Geothermal Heating Company’s district energy scheme, which provides low-carbon heating for buildings on campus. Solar photovoltaic panels are installed on The Spark and the Solent Sports Complex and the University’s Ship Handling Centre at Timsbury Lake in Romsey, generating over 50,000 kWh per annum. 100 per cent of the electricity purchased by the University is from REGO certified renewable sources.
In April 2020, Solent’s Vice Chancellor, Karen Stanton, signed the People & Planet Fossil Free Declaration after the University fully divested from fossil fuels. Solent holds no investments in extractor fossil fuel companies and will never invest in these companies again.
The University is a signatory of Southampton City Council’s Green City Charter and will use the Green City Performance Tracker to measure progress on achieving our sustainability targets, in line with the Council’s own commitments.
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• Development and progression • Women’s
The University has established a staff BAME Network, which is currently open to all Solent staff who self-identify as a member of one of these communities.
The University has committed to the Race Equality Charter (REC) and has established a self-assessment group, made up of junior and senior staff from all Faculties and services. They are analysing institutional data, policies, processes and activities to develop a robust and challenging institutional action plan to help achieve race equality objectives.
‘The University has pledged to become a University of Sanctuary, welcoming refugees and those seeking asylum. As part of the work Solent has awarded a scholarship to a student from Afghanistan who is now studying a masters programme.’
Women Achievers is a forum dedicated to developing the leadership skills of inspiring Solent women to fulfil their leadership potential at all grades across schools and services. Meetings include talks and activities to support the key themes agreed by the group which are: well-being
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Is the organisation working to create a level playing field on opportunity for all, to fully unleash Britain’s potential for the first time?
Solent’s LGBT+ staff network was formed over 10 years ago and is a friendly group that provides a supportive and social network for anyone working at Solent University who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, or who is questioning their sexuality or gender identity. The model was identified by partners in the city as one that can be replicated by other businesses and the University has provided guidance and support on this.
The University has pledged to become a University of Sanctuary, welcoming refugees and those seeking asylum.
• Celebrating achievements •
Several of the University’s academic community actively conduct research in diversity and inclusion within industry.
TheMentoringUniversity participates in the Aurora Programme, a development programme for women run by AdvanceHE that brings together leadership experts and female colleagues from HE Institutions across the UK to take positive action in addressing the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. Solent has sponsored spaces on the programme since 2018.
The University has been a partner of Southampton Pride for over 4 years now, enabling staff, students, alumni and the wider community to proactively raise awareness of key challenges and opportunities.
Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion 14 Status Activity
Partnerships with local primary and secondary Outreachschools. initiatives as part of the ‘Step into Success’ programme. These are the measurable things e.g. no of people 10participatingformalworking relationships with secondary schools and 3 with primary schools. During 2019-20, 79 secondary widening participation activities with 11,590 engagementsparticipantweredelivered(71%liveinareasofdeprivation).Aswellas10primaryactivitieswith1164participantengagements. These are the more intangible SolentbenefitsUniversity is supporting children throughout the education system. Ensuring that all children are given access to opportunity. schoolSuccessfulyears2 Outcomes - Measuring the impact of the outputs against specific goals
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Has the organisation helped to allow every child to successfully achieve their potential in attainment and development?
Has the organisation helped to close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child?
OUTCOMES
1
ActivityActivity Output Output OutcomeOutcome(Implied)(Implied)
infoundationsStrongEarlyYears
The listed outputs have been noted from available data; while given the absence of current universal measurement for social impact, outcomes have been implied. As the availability of data increases, with increased adoption of impact tracking and measurement, both outcomes will be more readily reported against. This will be highly effective for benchmarking the impact of any social impact projects that Solent University progresses with.
This section will consider how the aforementioned activities and their inputs, both financial and in terms of manpower, result in associated outputs and subsequent outcomes.
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PostdestinationsPositive16+
Does the organisation provide access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock opportunity through a person’s life? Activity Output Outcome (Implied)
Does the organisation support young people and adults to have the choice of a high-quality route in education, employment, or training?
OUTCOMES
These are the measurable things e.g. no of people participating Right advice and experiences4 Head Start Mentoring programme - one-to-one mentoring from role models. Solent Futures and Solent Futures Online. Young people can learn from role models similar to them. Students given the right career advice and connected with relevant opportunities and jobs. These are the more intangible benefits
Targeted outreach at school
Activity Output Outcome (Implied)
Theleavers.University’s ‘Step into Success’ programme supports Y12-13 from widening participation backgrounds. These are the measurable things e.g. no of people Forparticipating2020/21 cycle 16,753 student engagements have been delivered and 547 recruitment activities have been attended or delivered. These are the more intangible benefits Young people are educated on the higher education options available to them. Tailored support for those thinking of going to university but who might not know how to apply etc. 3
28 Does the company offer opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections? Activity Output Outcome (Implied) Are careers and professions open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible, and open recruitment practices? Activity Output Outcome (Implied) recruitmentOpen5 Fair progressioncareer6 These are the measurable things e.g. no of people Theseparticipatingarethe measurable things e.g. no of people participatingAllMentoringSolentadmissionsContextualisedpolicyFuturesProfessionalProgramme.staffhavecareerpathways. People from backgroundsdifferentareable to access higher education. Mentees are given an insight to a variety of Staffprofessions.areable to fulfill theirThesepotential.are the more intangible benefits These are the more intangible benefits Does the organisation help widen access to responsible credit and close the savings gap? Activity Output Outcome (Implied) savingsaccessWideningto& credit 7 OUTCOMES
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Solent University supports students who want to freelance or start a business. Enterprise is embedded in courses across the university alongside Theemployability.University’s Solent Business School is renowned for supporting local business. These are the measurable things e.g. no of people participating Business advice amounts to 40% of those seeking support.
These are the measurable things e.g. no of people participating These are the more intangible benefits
Good health and well-being8
enterpriseExtending9
OUTCOMES
Solent University is currently 3rd in the HE-BCI league table with 155 graduate business start-ups. The Business School has supported over 140 businesses to survive and thrive post Covid-19. These are the more intangible benefits Students are more likely to succeed when starting a Studentsbusiness. and graduates are starting businesses and creating economyHelpingopportunities.employmentthelocaltothrive.
Activity Output Outcome (Implied)
Does the organisation improve mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall well-being to allow people to fulfil their potential?
Does the organisation work to extend private enterprise and entrepreneurship to all people and communities?
‘Vision for Mental Health and Wellbeing 2018 - 2025’ strategy. Better Year, Better Me project. Innovative projects to tackle health and social issues through the Community Innovation Programme. New model introduced to improve mental health support for students. Makes it easier for staff and students to keep fit. Improved health and wellbeing for staff. Hard to reach groups, the elderly, youth groups and others helped to be healthy. More students getting mental health support quicker.
Activity Output Outcome (Implied)
Solent students have delivered over 150 innovations with over 2,000 participants.. This has resulted in a 68% increase in the number of students accessing the service, alongside a 62% decrease in waiting times.
Activity
Is the organisation helping people live in quality, affordable homes so people can live in safe and sustainable communities?
Building homes & communitiessustainable12 OUTCOMES
Is the organisation developing the physical infrastructure that connects people and places to opportunity? Output Outcome (Implied) Output Outcome (Implied)
30 Closing the digital divide10 Is the organisation working to close the digital divide in technology access, skills, opportunities, and infrastructure? Activity Output Outcome (Implied) These are the measurable things e.g. no of people participating Solent Learning Teaching Institute - a £33m investment. Sharing digital equipment with the local community. These are the more intangible Supportsbenefits the academic and student community in how to effectively utilise technologies. Those within the community have the equipment needed. forInfrastructureopportunity11
Activity
ActivityActivity OutputOutput Outcome (Implied) Outcome (Implied)
Target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by Sustainable2030. methods of power used throughout the Solent’s campuses. 100 per cent of the electricity purchased by the University is from REGO certified renewable sources.
These are the more intangible benefits These are the more intangible benefits Working with others in the region to improve Contributingsustainability.to the journey towards netEnsuringzero. fair progressions for Givingwomen.a voice to all members of staff. Extending opportunity to asylum seekers and refugees. Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion 14 transitiontheHarnessenergy
13 OUTCOMES
Afghanistan.toAwardedparticipatinge.g.measurablethethingsnoofpeopleascholarshipastudentfromThesearethemeasurablethingse.g.noofpeopleparticipating
The Women Achievers forum is dedicated to developing the leadership skills of inspiring Solent women. Staff networks for LGBT+ and BAME staff. Solent University has pledged to become a University of Sanctuary. These are
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Is the organisation ensuring that the energy transition is fair and creates opportunities across the UK?
Is the organisation working to create a level playing field on opportunity for all, to fully unleash Britain’s potential for the first time?
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