Birkbeck, University of London

Part of the University of London (UoL), Birkbeck is a vibrant centre of academic engagement and excellence, and London's only specialist provider of part-time and evening higher education. Birkbeck welcomes students who may not have conventional qualifications and encourages them to reach the highest standards of achievement. Students are taught by academic staff who are not only experts in their subjects, but also have a wealth of experience in supporting and encouraging part-time students tackling academic challenges.

City University

The City University was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and was awarded full university status in 1966. Today the University is renowned for its international focus, the employability of its graduates (5th in The Sunday Times 2006 graduate employability table) and its links with business and professions.

King's College London

King's College London is the fourth oldest university in England with more than 13,700 undergraduates and nearly 5,600 graduate students in nine schools of study based at five London campuses. It is a member of the Russell Group: a coalition of the UK's major research-based universities.

London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University is one of Britain's largest universities, offering a wide range of courses and an exciting and challenging educational experience. 16 of its subjects were recently rated as "excellent" by the QAA (who review all UK universities) including Business and Management, which received 24 out of 24.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a renowned research-led postgraduate medical school with a unique mission: to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide through the pursuit of excellence in research, postgraduate teaching and advanced training in national and international public health and tropical medicine, and to undertake activities which influence policy and practice in these areas.

London South Bank University's School of Health

The London South Bank University's Faculty of Health and Social Care is the largest of the University's four faculties with over 7,000 students and 350 teaching and research staff. It is the UK's second largest provider of nurse education and trains one in four of London's nurses and health and social care professionals.

Middlesex University  

Based on four major campuses in north London and a campus in Dubai, Middlesex is the base for some 25,000 students worldwide, studying for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in the arts, business, computing, education, health, humanities, law and the social sciences.

Queen Mary, University of London  

Queen Mary is one of the leading colleges in the federal University of London, with over 11,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and an academic and support staff of around 2,600.

The Institute of Education, University of London

The Institute of Education (IoE) is based in Bloomsbury, London. It is a graduate College of the University of London.

The Open University in London  

The Open University mainly runs distance learning courses. Students receive course materials through the post or e-learning systems. Support is given in the form of tutorials and many courses have a week long summer school which students must attend.

The Royal Veterinary College, University of London  

The Royal Veterinary College is the United Kingdom's largest, oldest and only independent veterinary school. Its independent status means it is able to innovate and keep at the forefront of theory and practice and the College has a proud heritage of innovation in veterinary science, clinical practice and education.

The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London  

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is based in Russell Square, Central London. It is part of the University of London. SOAS is home to around 3,700 students with around a half of these students enrolled on undergraduate studies.

The School of Pharmacy, University of London  

The School of Pharmacy is the only UK institution devoted to teaching and research in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences. The School has been located in the heart of London for over 160 years.

University College London  

University College London (UCL) is based in Central London on Gower Street close to Euston Station. UCL has over 19,000 students completing undergraduate, postgraduate or research degrees.

University of East London  

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community, with 20,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. The vision of the University of East London is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for its contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through research and scholarship.

University of Westminster  

The mission of the University of Westminster is to provide high quality higher education and research in both national and international contexts for the intellectual, social and professional development of the individual and for the economic and cultural enrichment of London and wider communities.

Barking & Dagenham College

Barking & Dagenham College is located in East London close to the border of Essex and the centre of Romford in the UK, with good transport links to Central London. Barking & Dagenham College is committed to enabling all students to achieve individual success through study; and also committed to promoting industrial competitiveness by providing relevant high quality education and training to people at work.

Barnet College

Barnet College is one of the largest further education colleges in England, with:

• Five main centres
• Numerous outreach centres
• Over 2,000 courses including academic, professional, vocational and general interest
• Educational and training opportunities at all levels from pre-foundation to degree
• 25,000 students
• 1,500 staff.

City and Islington College  

City and Islington College is one of the most successful colleges in the country and has been awarded Learning and Skills Beacon status. It has five specialist centres spread out across North London and offers over 450 qualifications at all levels, from Basic Skills to Higher Education, featuring GCSEs, A-levels and extensive BTEC, HND, HNC and Foundation programmes.

City of Westminster College

City of Westminster College offers around 300 full and part-time courses to over 8,000 students each year. They have five centres in Paddington, Maida Vale, Queens Park, Marylebone and the Cockpit Theatre.

 Crossways Sixth Form  

Crossways Sixth Form is one of London's most modern sixth form colleges. With excellent facilities and cutting – edge ICT, Crossways provides an ideal learning environment for young adults to develop themselves and take the vital steps required to fulfill their dreams.

Kensington and Chelsea College  

Discover your true potential at Kensington and Chelsea College. Kensington and Chelsea College has been leading its students to success since the early nineties. Built on a commitment to providing its students with a first class education, the college blends dynamic teaching and state-of-the art resources with a diverse and welcoming learning environment.

Lambeth College  

Lambeth College is based in Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Streatham. They offer a variety of qualifications at different levels in a range of subjects including Accounting, Art, Administration, Basic Skills, Construction, Business, Child Care, Complementary Therapies, Computer Maintenance, Computing and IT, Counselling, Dental Technology, Engineering, Hair and

Lewisham College  

Lewisham College is in the Borough of Lewisham in South East London. The College has two campuses one at Lewisham Way and one in Deptford. They have 36,000 enrolments 35% of which are part time and 65% full time. There are over 450 part time, full time, evening and short courses available to adult learners. These include certificate courses, BTEC, NVQ, City & Guilds, GNVQ and GCSE.

Newham College  

Newham College has two main sites in East Ham and Stratford. The students at Newham include school leavers, adults returning to study, people in work and employers. Courses covered include Health and Social Care, IT, Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Education, Business, Engineering and various A and AS Level courses.

Newham Sixth Form College  

Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) is one of the largest sixth form colleges in the country, offering students a chance to excel at their studies and extra activities, and progress from NewVIc with exceptional skills and confidence.

Southwark College  

Southwark College has three sites: Waterloo, Bermondsey and Camberwell. Courses available include Access, Accountancy, Administration, A Levels, Art and Design, Catering, Counselling, Health Studies, Teaching, Travel and Tourism, IT and Languages. Access courses are available in nursing, maths, osteopathy, social work and teaching.

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London is a vocational further education college with centres in Tottenham and Enfield, dedicated to giving the best possible education and training to all of their students. The College recently attained Beacon status, which means it is recognised as one of the country's very best colleges, delivering outstanding and innovative teaching and training.

The Hackney Community College  

The Hackney Community College has its impressive main campus in trendy Hoxton, easily accessible from east and north London boroughs, and a short bus journey from Liverpool Street station. Students benefit from specialist facilities in areas such as sport, construction, motor vehicle, media and fashion.

Tower Hamlets College

Tower Hamlets College has four sites in Poplar, Arbour Square, Bethnal Green and the new Financial Skills Academy will soon be opening in East India Dock Road. Around 9,000 students study at the College with 2,000 based in the Sixth Form.

Westminster Kingsway College

Westminster Kingsway College is one of the largest further education colleges in central London with centres in Camden and Westminster. The College has about 14,000 students across all age ranges and offers a wide range of further, adult and higher education programmes for people of all ages. The College offers a range of full-time and part-time courses giving students the opportunity to gain vocational, professional and academic qualifications at different levels that are tailored directly to employment opportunities.

City Lit

City Lit was established over 85 years ago to create an environment that encourages and supports individuals in achieving their goals. The college is the largest provider of adult education in Europe, providing opportunities for 24,000 adults each year, offering more than 3,000 part-time choices including visual and performing arts, languages, computing, psychology and counselling, teacher training, complementary therapies and humanities, as well as specialist areas for students with disabilities.

Morley College

Morley is an adult education College based around Waterloo. They have a range of departments which include Access, Skills for Life, Computing, Dance & Drama, Health & Exercise, ESOL, Foundation Studies, Humanities, Languages, Music and Visual Art.

The Mary Ward Centre

The Mary Ward Centre is located in Central London in Queen Square near Russell Square. The Centre provides courses for over 7,000 adult students at levels from introductory to advanced. Courses are part time, and are available in the day, evening and at weekends.

The Working Men's College

This adult education college for women and men is based in Crowndale Road, London NW1. Their mission is to be dedicated to widening access to high quality education for all, providing opportunity for lifelong learning for the diverse range of London adults unable to study full time and particularly for those who have missed out on their initial education.

Aimhigher

Aimhigher is an umbrella term to describe initiatives aimed at widening participation in UK higher education, particularly among students from non-traditional backgrounds, minority groups and disabled persons. Aimhigher is initiated by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) working with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

HEFCE

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom which distributes funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since 1992. It was created by the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.

National Apprenticeship Service (NAS)

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has end to end responsibility for Apprenticeships in England.

 The NAS has been designed to increase the number of Apprenticeship opportunities and provide a dedicated, responsive service for both employers and learners. We are simplifying the process of recruiting an Apprentice through Apprenticeship vacancies, an online web-based matching service.

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are state-sponsored, employer-led organisations that cover specific economic sectors in the United Kingdom. Their goals are - to reduce skills gaps and shortages, to improve productivity, to boost the skills of their sector workforces, and to improve learning supply.

Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA)

The creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues was a key recommendation of the Admissions to Higher Education Steering Group report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice (Professor Steven Schwartz, 2004). Universities UK (UUK) and GuildHE took the recommendation forward with the four UK funding councils.

UCAS

UCAS are the organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK. Not only do we process more than two million applications for full-time undergraduate courses every year, but we help students to find the right course. We try to make things run as smoothly as possible by providing innovative online tools which make it easier for students and higher education institutions (HEIs) to manage applications and offers.

UnionLearn

Unionlearn is here to help unions spread the lifelong learning message to even more members.