Blogs

What’s it like to work nights in the Unite Students safety team? We spoke to Dave Booth, Student Safety Manager (Nights) in Durham, about what his role looks like, its importance in providing a great student experience 24/7, and how he’s been an ally to LGBTQ+ students.

Unite Students introduced its Resident Ambassador scheme in 2016, providing valuable peer-to-peer support in our buildings as well as a work and development opportunity for the students who live with us. With recruitment underway for the next academic year, we spoke to Izzy Pemberton, a first-year student at Manchester Metropolitan University, who has been a Resident Ambassador at New Medlock House since October 2022.

Ahead of the release of Unite Students’ Journey To A Million essay, co-authored with Knight Frank, a panel of sector experts looks at what a million applicants means for student accommodation - covering supply and demand, research into the student experience, and what accommodation for the next generation of students looks like.

As predicted by the government’s 2019 international student strategy, the number of Indian students studying in the UK has grown significantly in the past few years. Bernadette Cochonat, Head of International Sales at Unite Students, shares what trends have been identified within this student population, and how that shapes their accommodation needs.

Helene became Group People Director in January 2021, with a renewed vision for the People function. Leading all aspects of the People strategy, Helene has brought her experience from international start-ups and multi-national organisations to Unite. Here, Helene shares more about Unite’s ambition to deliver a Home for Success for our employees.

Karan leads the operational and commercial functions for Unite, working with his team to enhance the student experience, deliver commercial performance and raise brand awareness. He joined the business in June 2021 from InterContinental Hotels Group, where he served as managing director for the UK and Ireland. Here, Karan explains some of the focus areas for the year.

An expert sector panel discusses Unite Students' new report on neurodivergent students' university experience and what universities and accommodation providers can do to better meet their needs.

Unite Students has today published ‘An asset, not a problem: Meeting the needs of neurodivergent students’, a report on the experiences of students who are autistic and/or have ADHD, created in collaboration with students from Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS). Here are some top-line findings about their accommodation and university experience.

What actions did our delegates take away from the Living Black at University Conference to create a more equitable living environment for Black students? Here are six key takeaways from the day.

Unite Students’ Day in the Life series is back to shine a spotlight on more of our frontline employees and the fantastic work they do in our city teams. First up is Karina Croft, General Manager for Leeds North, who has been with Unite Students since 2005 and last year won the CEO Award at our internal Stars Awards – we hear about a typical day in her role, how it felt to be recognised, and the most unusual situation she’s had to deal with.

Student belonging is the Higher Education's current hot topic - but what does it all mean for accommodation? Jenny Shaw hosts a panel of experts to weigh in on what their research and experience has shown about students feeling a sense of belonging in their accommodation, how inclusion and wellbeing intersect with that sense of belonging, and how student accommodation practitioners can facilitate a community in which students feel they belong.

We’re introducing a new package of measures for students, including a pilot partnership with Aldi to offer food vouchers to those most in need during the cost-of-living crisis.

From living in our buildings to managing them, Lettie Hubbuck has had the full Unite Students experience. Now in the role of Head of Operations Support, we spoke to her about how her time staying with us shaped her approach to operations, how her new role facilitates improvements to our operations processes, and what operations improvements are coming down the track.

George Moses - Student Experience Manager for Leeds South - shares his experience of transitioning while working at Unite Students, his journey to gender affirmation, and how student accommodation professionals can support students and colleagues going through this experience.

It’s been a year since Unite Students published its Living Black at University report – here, we share what we’ve done since to support greater equity for Black students within the sphere of student accommodation, how we’ve partnered with others in the sector, and what’s still to come in 2023.

We are inviting the submission of case studies to be included in the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University's final report, to be published in summer 2023.

Moray Notman, University Partner Commercial Director, reflects on over a decade in the sector: how he worked his way up from operations management; the importance of university partnerships; and what 2023 will bring for him and the wider student accommodation market.

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University is delighted to announce that the Living Black at University Conference will be taking place in Newcastle on Tuesday 7th March 2023. This free one-day event is open to universities, accommodation providers, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leads in the sector.

Jenny Shaw explores what 2023 brings for Unite Students, including new research and resources to share with the Higher Education sector.

As the winter university break approaches, so does the inevitable narrative of students ‘returning home for Christmas’ – but what does that mean for those who remain in accommodation over the holiday? We explore some of the reasons why students stay in their accommodation over the festive season, best practice for inclusive operations and communications, and how Unite Students is supporting students over this period.

Jenny Shaw hosts two experts as they share their thoughts on marketing to students, including current data trends, the impact of cost of living, and the use of social media.

We caught up with our three Head of Operations to find out about their journey into the student accommodation sector, how they manage operations across their patch, and their priorities for this academic year.

During our development of Hayloft Point, our flagship property in the heart of the London, a Museum of London Archaeology team discovered the Boar’s Head Playhouse, the most significant find during Unite Students’ 30 years of building properties.

What does the Higher Education sector need to know about student risk-taking behaviours, and how they can support students and reduce harm? Our expert sector panel speaks to Jenny Shaw.

For the first time since 2019, Global Student Living Live returned to the conference circuit, with this year’s event focused on sustainability in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Unite Students were in attendance to hear about everything from smart tech to bug burgers – so here are our key takeaways from the event.

Accommodation Matters is back - and we’re kicking off the new series by looking at the intersection between student accommodation and the hospitality sector.

Student mental health support is a shared challenge across the Higher Education sector, and a holistic, collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing it. Unite Students’ new student support framework, ‘Support to Stay’, aims to join up our student support services with those of our university partners.

In her 18 years in the Higher Education sector, Jo Blair has worked her way up to become one of Scotland’s foremost purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) experts. As she moves into a new role as Head of Quality and Standards at Unite Students, we caught up with her about her new role, her experiences working with the Scottish government, and what the future holds for the Scottish PBSA market.

The July meeting of the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University explored how knowledge and data could be better harnessed to meet the needs of Black students and staff.

Our latest episode of Accommodation Matters explores the findings of our recent applicant survey in more detail, including what this means on the ground, what the sector is doing to prepare for their arrival, and some areas of focus for the future.

The UK’s postgraduate population exploded during the pandemic – but who are they, and what are some of the policy pressures around this demographic? This blog has been kindly contributed by Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer of London Higher – the representative body for over 40 universities and higher education colleges in London.

Who are 2022’s applicants, and what do they need at university? With a view to starting to answer to these questions, Unite Students is delighted to share our inaugural Applicant Index report, available for download now.

The latest episode of our In Conversation mini-series stars Dr Alexis Brown, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. She shares her thoughts on what the Higher Education sector's current challenges are, part-time and lifelong learning opportunities, and student wellbeing, as well as her own experiences of studying in the US and the UK.

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University launched in April to effect sector-wide change in improving Black students’ accommodation experience. Representing sector bodies, charities and universities who are already running projects to improve the Black student experience, here are the Commissioners making this work happen.

Since inception, the Unite Foundation has supported more than 500 estranged and care leaver students to access Higher Education, and has this year announced an expanded cohort of 100 scholarship students. This is the story of our role in making the Unite Foundation’s amazing work possible.

Who are the UK's postgraduates? What do they want from their accommodation? And what are the challenges they face in accessing it? We delve into the topic of postgraduate accommodation with help from expert sector guests.

On the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first official pride march, we’ve caught up with two of our LGBTQ+ employees to understand what working at Unite Students in 2022 means for them.

In January, Becca Hayhurst joined the organisation as our new Head of Student Support. We caught up with Becca to find out how she’s finding her role, what she’s been up to since joining, and details of our new student support strategy.

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University recently held its first in-person meeting in Birmingham, on the topic of integration – here are some of the key themes that emerged from the meeting.

Data shows that students’ expectations for university life don’t meet with their experience. So what can the Higher Education sector do to bridge the gap and better reflect the reality of student living to prospective applicants?