It was a brilliant night at the prestigious THE Leadership and Management Awards 2017 (THELMAs) for the University of West London (UWL), which won the award for ‘Outstanding Leadership and Management Team.’
THELMA 2017 Winner is UWL
The University of West London was deemed a worthy winner of this year’s top prize on Thursday (26 June), having delivered sustained improvements across the institution and impressive outcomes for students.
Underpinned by its strategic plan, Ambition 2018, the university has delivered against numerous challenging goals set in 2013, with 90 per cent of key performance indicators achieved two years ahead of schedule.
96 per cent of UWL students go on to employment or further study within six months of graduating – 4 per cent better than the sector benchmark – while the university remains in the top 30 for UK starting salaries. Overall, 69 per cent of graduates enter highly skilled employment, rising to 71 per cent for black students and 85 per cent for mature students, the highest figures for any modern university in London.
The University achieved excellent National Student Survey 2016 scores and was rated the best in London for overall satisfaction.
Judges said they were impressed by the University’s ‘improved performance across a range of indicators, which was both impressive and compelling’ and praised UWL as ‘an excellent example of a committed and enduring leadership team working effectively with its board, staff and students.’
UWL Leadership and Management team at the THELMAs
UWL Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter John, said: ‘This THELMA award for outstanding leadership and management team recognises the University’s excellent progress in delivering our visionary strategic plan; Ambition 2018, which is underpinned by investment in infrastructure, academic staff and our curriculum and has seen ninety percent of agreed Key Performance Indicators achieved two years ahead of schedule.
‘I am absolutely delighted that the senior leadership team of the University has been recognised through this award. It highlights the fantastic dedication and exceptional performance of a team that works effectively with the board and staff while always putting our students first. Alongside the recent silver status on the Teaching Excellence Framework and our meteoric rise up the league tables this has truly been a remarkable year’
The THELMA award for Outstanding Leadership and Management Team caps a fantastic week for the University, in which it also achieved a Silver award in the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). A TEF silver means UWL’s provision is of high quality and consistently exceeds sector benchmarks, resulting in excellent outcomes for very high proportions of UWL students from all backgrounds, who progress to highly skilled employment or further study, notably exceeding the provider benchmark.
Also, over a nine month period to date, UWL has achieved the biggest increase in three independent league tables in the UK – climbing 37 places to No. 84 in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017; rising 27 places to No. 79 in The Complete University Guide 2018 and, most recently, 38 places to No.58 in the Guardian University Guide 2018 – making it the number one modern University in London and in the top ten modern universities in the UK.
Now in their ninth year, the awards – known as the THELMAs – shine a spotlight on teamwork, innovation and enterprise excellence in UK universities. The event was held at Grosvenor House Hotel in central London, on Thursday.
