Leeds Beckett University - Making a Difference

One of Leeds major employers, our activities contribute £1.43bn to the UK economy each year (London Economics, 2022) through our teaching and learning, research and our wider business activities. We are proud to be an anchor institution for Leeds and the wider region and take every opportunity to ensure our knowledge and business operations are benefiting local businesses and suppliers.

A Leeds Beckett education combines academic understanding with practical application, preparing our students for their future careers from the moment they join us. LBU graduates are highly skilled professionals who drive the regional economy forward, each delivering a net benefit to the public purse of £60,000 (London Economics 2022).  

Our research community and 22 research centres deliver innovative, world leading research that addresses contemporary societal challenges including climate change, public health and social inequality.

CLIMATE

We are proud to be a member of and to chair the Leeds Anchor Network. We are working collaboratively with the city’s other major employers to reduce our carbon impact in line with the city’s ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Our contribution includes the work of the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) which is changing the design of homes in the UK to increase their efficiency.

LSI research is informing UK and EU policy on the reduction of carbon emissions from our homes, which are among the largest energy emitters. This work includes delivering UK government sponsored schemes to retrofit old housing stock with low carbon heating systems and energy efficient insulation.

We are the lead partner in the RED WoLF research project, which aims to reduce housing emissions across Northwest Europe: a key step in reaching the EU goals of sustainable growth and carbon reduction.

BUSINESS

Leeds is the UK’s largest centre for financial and business services, outside London.

While the research conducted by our Sustainable Business Research Institute informs financial economics, monetary policy, tourism, and regional policy, our Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) match our expertise with the specific challenges faced by individual businesses.

We work with businesses, ranging from start-ups to multinationals, to improve their efficiency, productivity, and profitability: delivering benefits to the organisation and the wider economy.

We have been awarded the Small Business Charter in recognition of our ongoing work to support small businesses, local economies and student entrepreneurship.

Our #WeCan initiative, led by Leeds Business School (LBS), supports small and medium-sized enterprises by building their leadership skills and capabilities. It has a specific focus on opportunities for women in business; supporting inspiring women in Leeds to become the leaders of the future.

HEALTH

Leeds Beckett’s  Centre for Health Promotion Research (CHPR) is one of the leading such centres in the UK.  Its findings inform Public Health England and NHS England’s approaches to community-based health and wellbeing.

Our research has also changed national and international policy and practices in relation to dementia care. It has set benchmark quality standards in the design, delivery and implementation of dementia education and training.

LBU is one of three nationally accredited universities enabling schools to develop strategies to support pupil and student mental health.

INVESTING IN THE CITY

Leeds Beckett University has invested £200million into transforming its estate, redeveloping existing facilities and creating new inspirational teaching and learning environments.

The Leeds School of Arts’ new home in the Innovation Arc provides world-leading, industry-quality teaching and learning facilities in film, television, music, fashion, dance, drama and performance. The building elevates arts education and acts as a hub for wider cultural and industry partnerships across Leeds. Each year,1,800 students study the creative arts. These graduates are the pipeline of multi-skilled talent for a sector worth more than £100 billion to the UK economy.

We are also helping to meet the local and national workforce shortages of highly skilled, highly employable science and health graduates with our clinical, professional and biomedical facilities in the Innovation Arc. Government funds of £2million were added to £7million of LBU funding to provide facilities that support our research and teaching activities.

Our Headingley campus is home to our Carnegie School of Sport building. A £45million investment, it combines state-of-the-art teaching, research, activity and laboratory spaces, and facilities including a 60-metre athletics track, nutrition teaching kitchen, and a fully equipped strength and conditioning suite. These outstanding teaching and research facilities are accessed by professional sportspeople and the teams behind them, from around the world.

SUPPORTING THE WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE

The University is one of Leeds’ major employers, supporting more than 4,000 jobs, 3,000 of which are in Yorkshire and Humber (London Economics 2022).   We recognise our role in growing the West Yorkshire economy through our business activities and the graduation of over 5,000 new, career-ready individuals each year.

A Leeds Beckett University education embeds practical experience alongside academic learning. Our degree courses, apprenticeships, industrial placements and internship opportunities have helped students, both past and present, build successful careers.