Universities UK has opted to adopt a statement to publish on our website, although we are not required to have such a statement under the current regulation (Modern Slavery Act 2015).

This statement covers the Universities UK group, including its wholly owned subsidiary Woburn House Conference Centre ltd and the national councils, Universities Wales and Universities Scotland.

Organisation structure and supply chain

Universities UK leads collaboration among universities to ensure UK universities can maximise their positive impact through influencing policy and opinion and bringing our universities together to take collective action. 

Our mission is to harness the power of the UK’s universities and create the conditions for them to thrive. We are their collective voice, bringing them together to pursue a common cause: thriving universities, serving society. 

By 2030 we will have enabled our universities to:  

  • Create opportunity through high-quality education
  • Provide knowledge and skills that drive growth and prosperity
  • Make groundbreaking discoveries with the power to change our world

To help them achieve this we will:

  • Secure sustainable funding
  • Build pride in our universities

At Universities UK, we know that we need to develop to be:

  • An exceptional membership organisation
  • A great place to work
  • A socially responsible organisation.

Universities UK has two national councils, Universities Scotland and Universities Wales.  Universities UK directly employs c160 staff.  Woburn House Conference Centre ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universities UK and exists to generate income from unused meeting space in Woburn House.

Universities UK and Woburn House Conference Centre ltd use a number of suppliers and contractors to carry out its business.  Activities include:

  • Use of professional services, agencies and advisers
  • Maintenance and operations of property
  • Catering services
  • IT, web and AV support
  • Recruitment agencies

Policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking

Universities UK has various policies relating to the avoidance of slavery and human trafficking, this includes:

  • Carrying out employment checks for all directly employed staff
  • Working with reputable recruitment agencies and service providers and ensure they carry out all required employment checks
  • Paying the London Living Wage or national living wage for other locations, and ensuring all contracted staff are paid London or national living wage as minimum
  • Due diligence with contractors delivering outsourced services, reviewing their policies and processes before contract award. 
  • We are rationalising our supply chain to use reputable suppliers who (if required) have published their own Modern Slavery Statement and demonstrating progress in this area.

 

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