East End Briefing: Universities, equity and aspiration
The East End is a culturally iconic place with a diversity of social and faith groups.
However, communities in the East End, such as Tower Hamlets, remain some of the most deprived in the country and many people worry the UK’s social contract is broken. At a moment when the government is setting out its opportunity reform agenda, we want to make the aspirations of place central to this debate.
This ‘local to national to local’ event discussed the final report of Queen Mary’s and the Mile End Institute’s polling into attitudes to social mobility and the professions in the East End, which was conducted with Savanta in November 2024. It will include a discussion of higher education reform across the UK, including the role of public and private institutions, further education, apprenticeships and social partnership.
We hope you can join us online for this event during National Apprenticeship Week.
Speakers included:
- Jennifer Coupland, Chief Executive, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
- Jess Lister - Director - Public First
- Lord Tim Clement Jones, Member of the House of Lords
- Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice Principal, Queen Mary University
- Dr Elizabeth Simon, The Mile End Institute
- Students and apprentices from the London City Institute of Technology