Liverpool John Moores University

History

• Originating from a small mechanics institution (Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts) founded in 1825, the institution grew by converging and amalgamating with different colleges and eventually became the Liverpool Polytechnic.
• In 1992, the Polytechnic became Liverpool John Moores University, one of the UK's new generation universities.
• In 2007, LJMU launched a globally unique model of higher education, which stresses work-related learning and graduate skills development in tandem with effective employer engagement. Known as the World of Work or WOW, programme, this model is endorsed and shaped by the FTSE 100 Index companies and leading business organisastions, including Airbus, CBI, Ford Europe, NHS, GKN Aerospace, Marks and Spencer, Siemens and Sony.

Location and transport

• LJMU is a thriving, vibrant university located at the heart of Liverpool.
• The university has three main campuses: both the City and Mount Pleasant Campuses are based in the city centre; the IM Marsh Campus is located approximately 6.4km (4 miles) south of the city centre.
• Liverpool is well served by public transport (ferry, taxi, rail, bus coach and underground).

Entry standards

• LJMU has an excellent and long-established record of reaching out to students with little experience or family tradition of attending university and helping them succeed in higher education.

Student mix

• Two-thirds of undergraduate students are eligible for a LJMU bursary, indicating they come from lower income households. Over 65% of LJMU scholarship are won by students from lower income households.
• Students recruited from more than 100 countries.
• 9.8% of undergraduate students are classified as a having a Black and Minority Ethnic background.
• 8% of undergraduates are recorded as having a disability.

Course flexibility

• A large programme of combined honours courses.
• Opportunities for part-time and distance learning.

Teaching standards

• Irrespective of the degree studied, all undergraduate students are encouraged to become expert in up to eight graduate skills, applicable to a wide range of professions and careers.
• Students are also encouraged to take their work-related skills up to the next level, gaining higher World of Work or WoW skills identified, not by LJMU but by leading national and international employers and business experts.
• No other university, either in the UK or internationally, offers students the chance to develop these WoW skills or gives them the opportunity to have their abilities verified through an employer-validated Skills Statement and interview.

Research standards

• LJMU demonstrates world-leading research in 70% of its disciplines.

• LJMU is ranked in the top four of post-92 universities for research in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, General Engineering, Sports-Related Studies, Architecture and Built Environment, Anthropology, Physics, Biological Sciences, and Computer Sciences and Informatics.
• LJMU was one of 29 institutions selected to take part in the pilot for assessing impact in the REF (Research Excellence Framework). The Astrophysics Research Institute produced the strongest physics performance in the pilot exercise conducted by HEFCE in 2010; its work was highlighted as an exemplar of research that has had a positive influence beyond academia. The University has produced an online publication to showcase examples of research impact and public engagement which can be viewed here.

Academic strengths

• LJMU is the only institution in the North West of England to be awarded Skillset Media Academy status.
• Other key areas include: public health, teacher education, subjects allied to medicine, engineering, computing science, astrophysics, sport and exercise sciences.
• LJMU stands apart from other universities in the UK because of its extensive links with employers operating in all sectors of the economy.
• LJMU's facilities are designed to replicate 'world of work' environments so that students can gain the key skills and experience relevant to their chosen career. These include science, technology and engineering laboratories, TV studios, a forensic scene-of-crime lab, theatre and rehearsal facilities, a mock courtroom, clinical practice suites and an art gallery.
• All LJMU students complete form of work-related learning as part of their degree. Regional and local employers, representing all sectors and all types of organisations from large companies to SMEs, are working closely with LJMU’s World of Work Careers Centre to provide outstanding work placements, internships and work-related learning opportunities to students.
• More than 150+ local employers have taken the time to be trained as World of Work skills verifiers, working with LJMU to deliver graduate-entry level interviews. Thanks to this support it is possible to give students invaluable 'real-world' interview experience in the sector they want to work in after they graduate. This is the final stage of the World of Work skills process and crucially it is these employers, not LJMU, who judge whether or not students have reached the necessary standards to receive their World of Work skills certificate.
• LJMU’s Graduate Development Centre is dedicated to helping students get the skills, confidence and experience they’ll need to succeed in an increasingly competitive gradate job market. Current activities include:
• Ready for work programme These careers workshops and training sessions give students the skills they need to find and secure a graduate job. Sessions run throughout the year and include such topics as: CV writing, presentation skills, practise interview sessions and psychometric testing. (98% of students in 2011 said that the content of the session was useful.)
• Skills Support Officers LJMU’s Skills Support officers (SSOs) are central to the delivery of WoW in Faculties, providing support for academic staff and ensuring that students maximise their graduate skills development and employability while at LJMU.
• One to One guidance interviews LJMU’s Student Employability Team provides a confidential one-to-one service, on all things career-related including how to complete applications forms and write winning CVs.
• Be your own boss LJMU’s Student Enterprise team supports students and graduates who want to start up in business, become self-employed or work freelance. As well as expert business planning advice, bursaries are also available to Student Enterprise Fellows.
• LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship supports students and graduates who want to start up in business, become self-employed or work freelance as well as working closely with programme teams to provide enterprise education through the curriculum. As well as expert advice from a team of professionally accredited business advisers, there are co-working facilities, financial support, a networking club and access to cutting edge training. The Centre has been a specialist provider in this field since 2003 and helped hundreds of students and graduates start businesses, become self-employed, establish freelance careers and launch a whole variety of products and services. It achieved excellent rankings in the HE-BCI (Higher Education Business and Community Interaction) Survey 2009/10, including 21st in the UK for the number of graduate business start-ups established.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• LJMU's dedicated World of Work Careers Centre operates as the 'hub' for all of the University's student employability initiatives, including year round, free Ready for Work training sessions and workshops.
• LJMU has three modern Learning Resource Centres (LRC), and the two largest LRCs are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in University term-times. Every subject, every topic, every interest is covered in the Learning Resource Centres - in formats ranging from DVD and CD, to journals, satellite TV programmes, magazines, and of course books, both print and electronic.
• LJMU's virtual learning environment, Blackboard, gives students links to materials such as assignments, lecture notes, useful Internet sites and other multimedia resources.
• Over 2,000 workstations are available in the LRCs and student open-access facilities.
• 100% of student rooms are wired for internet access.

Student Support Services

• The University provides a wide range of services operated by professional staff to help you achieve success on your chosen programme of study. Staff skilled in student finance, accommodation, mental  well-being, counselling, disability, international, study support and other student-specific areas are available to all students throughout their time at the University.
• LJMU has dedicated prayer and contemplation space for use by students, and University chaplains available for all.
• LJMU has recently had the Buttle Quality Kitemark renewed for its exemplary support for care leavers and estranged students.  A comprehensive support package is available for students leaving care.

Disability services

• LJMU opened its new Assessment Room for students with disabilities and additional support needs in September 2010. The Assessment Room is discrete, fully accessible and provides a comfortable, welcoming space where students can test out a range of different furniture, equipment and technologies based on their own specific needs. Assessments are carried out in support of the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) scheme. The new facility reflects the development of increasingly professional disability support services within LJMU.

• LiverpoolSU is here to ensure students get the most from the social, academic and work life whilst at LJMU.
• There are over 75 clubs, societies and sports teams to choose from, ranging from the Islamic, Cheerleading and Snowriders societies to the Freestyle Dance, American Football and Jiu Jitsu Clubs. These offer both entertainment and the opportunity to develop skills for future careers.
• The Union's 'Give a It Go' events include trips to the Lake District,  speed dating, skiing and snowboarding weekends, as well as more traditional fundraising events.
• LiverpoolSU strives to ensure students get the most from their learning experience, by representing students’ views and lobbying when something needs to change.
• Support is available through the LiverpoolSU advice centre, course reps and hall reps.
• LiverpoolSU runs a number of campaigns across the year on issues important to students, inside LJMU and beyond, to help bring about positive change and ensure students love student life at LJMU.

Sport

• LJMU students have free off-peak access to Lifestyles Fitness Centres around Liverpool (and greatly reduced rates for on-peak use). Further details are on the website.
• Students can also access a range of sports facilities at the IM Marsh campus, which is located in the leafy suburb of Aigburth, just a few miles from the city centre. The facilities include an astro pitch, indoor sports hall, two gymnasiums, two dance studios, fitness room (equipped with CV and resistance machines), rugby pitch, football pitch, practise field, outdoor netball courts and outdoor tennis courts.
• If you are an elite athlete you’ll be given the opportunity to make full use of the state-of-the-art Tom Reilly Building, which houses the School of Sports and Exercise Sciences and the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology. It provides world-class sports facilities including appetite laboratories, psychology testing labs, neuroscience labs, an indoor 70-metre running track, force plates, caren disc, physiology suites, a DEXA scanner for measuring body fat, muscles and bone density, a driving simulator and a chronobiology lab.
• In recognition of excellence within sporting disciplines at LJMU, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) awarded LJMU £4.5 million over five years for the establishment of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). The CETL award recognises LJMU's outstanding record for Physical Education, Dance, Sport and Exercises Sciences. LJMU was the first UK university to be awarded an Ofsted Grade A in Physical Education and it is also the premier institution for both teaching and research in Sport and Exercise Sciences. Further information is available on the website.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The University has continued to invest in its capital programme which includes upgrading existing properties and developing new buildings. Developments include the RIBA award-winning £24-million Art and Design Academy, the £25.5-million Tom Reilly Building (opened by footballer and LJMU Honorary Fellow Steven Gerrard), a new life sciences building where facilities include an indoor 70-metre running track and labs for testing cardio-vascular ability, motor skills and bio-mechanics functions.
• Construction of LJMU’s £34-million Redmonds' Building development is on schedule to meet its completion date of June 2012 when it will become home to the Liverpool Screen School, Liverpool Business School and the School of Law.

Availability of part-time work

• Excellent availability of part-time work in Liverpool.
• Over 800 organisations have signed up to LJMU's vacancy website, a one-stop-shop for students looking for part-time work, graduate jobs, work placements and much more.

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