2 minute read
Introducing the new LSBU Croydon campus
Croydon may not be the first name that comes to mind when it comes to the most exciting places to live, though it is a place with a rich and fascinating history. The town long served as the second home for Archbishops of Canterbury, with five buried at Addington Palace. King Henry VIII courted Croydon resident Catherine of Aragon and often stayed at the Old Palace. More recently, Croydon served as the UK’s first airport, with numerous world record-breaking flights taking off there. Now in 2021, it continues to be an innovative place to live. With a thriving cultural scene, independent shops and cafes, blossoming tech start-ups and major corporation HQs, it is going places.
London South Bank University has opened a brand new campus at Electric House, a wonderful art deco landmark building in the centre of the town. This campus is designed to support the next generation of healthcare heroes. With state of the art simulated facilities and clinics, its nursing and chiropractic students are able to replicate real life wards and practice, helping to tackle a very real shortage of NHS staff across South London and the Gatwick Triangle. The university also brings its extensive knowledge in business and accounting, supported by local employers large and small, to give students access to the range of knowledge and skills to access high value careers in the sector.
The LSBU Croydon campus has been designed very differently to most universities, with flexible learning spaces, advanced teaching methods, personalised learning support, integrated technology, and students involved in design decisions. The staff teams are building a diverse range of local collaborations. For example, the soon to launch Solutions Centre will offer business and professional advice to local start-ups and microbusinesses, while students will take part in Hackathons to give creative, research-driven inputs into real problems in the local area. A new sensory suite will support Mental Health Nursing students in developing new approaches to in-patient care, while the only university chiropractic facility in London includes a patient-facing clinic.
LSBU Group has a powerful mission to transform lives, businesses and society through applied education and insight. The group includes apprenticeship provision, further education and schools, with South Bank UTC already taking part in educating the next generation of future healthcare specialists in a Croydon school. The group is piloting a programme to simplify the route into a career in nursing, providing a pathway through the group into LSBU’s degrees and into partner NHS trusts. Expect to see a range of collaborations to serve the communities in and around Croydon as well as to boost the town’s energy and dynamism. We hope to see you there!
RICHARD FENN, Director of LSBU Croydon and Dan Cundy, Executive Principal South Bank Academies Group
www.lsbu.ac.uk/study /study-at-lsbu/croydon
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