The 2017-2018 Training and Events Programme
It’s not just about the building - but that’s important as well.
The living and learning environment: consistency, innovation, attainment and resilience
Unipol’s training is acknowledged throughout the sector as the main national programme of events bringing together policy, management and the enhancement of the student experience geared to all of those who design, supply, manage and live in student accommodation: either purpose built (now known as PBSA) or off-street.
Unipol training deals with all student accommodation and all students.
Through our national role in accrediting over 250,000 bed spaces and being a landlord to over 3,000 tenants in Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford and with active links to many HEIs (through partnerships or consultancy), Unipol is uniquely positioned at the centre of the accommodation services network and we can identify trends, collect information, highlight good practice and showcase innovation to the delegates who attend and participate in our events.
This year
• the student accommodation environment has never been more demanding. Students are becoming increasingly cost conscious, they are paying higher rents and want good standards of amenity: but how should the balance between desirability and cost be struck?
• never has student accommodation been more at the centre of the living/learning mix: steaming lectures, working collaboratively with house mates, sharing ideas by colonising communal spaces within the building is now vital: how are suppliers able to address these needs?
• recognising and responding to mental health issues, fears over debt and assisting student resilience as part of a co-ordinated package of student services should now be part of the accommodation service - are they?
• and on top of these people-centred themes the buildings, ever more complex, filled with technology designed to speed up the knowledge economy and meet the needs of sustainability, must actually deliver what they promise. It is is important that these complex structures, filled with diverse and demanding people, actually work. Day to day routines, good health and safety, knowledgeable and thorough management practices are all essential - just to get off first base.
What this year’s programme is about:
• how to manage buildings (both new and old) efficiently and effectively achieving high levels of customer satisfaction
• how to deal with socialisation: inter-tenant friction, ResLife, social life and how to tackle complaints and dissatisfaction successfully
• mental health, how to promote student resilience whilst balancing the needs of providers, students, their parents and student services
Specific events are targeted at new staff who need to know the techniques of management (whilst retaining an enthusiasm for a job well done) and existing experienced staff who recognise that they need to respond to a change culture to remain successful and motivated.
and on the policy front:
• how is student supply and demand changing across the UK in the light of students “trading up”, BREXIT and TEF?
• what is new in the design, development and management of student accommodation?
• how is personal space maintained whilst encouraging the proper use of public and social space?
Never has good networking, the replication and transmutation of good practice and simply keeping up to date been more important.
The Unipol programme is designed to help, assist and inspire.
Target client groups
Unipol events are designed to keep accommodation professionals informed about new trends and developments in the sector, promote best practice and provide a range of relevant and useful courses and events.
Sponsorship
This year the training programme is being sponsored by Corporate Residential Management Ltd (CRM). CRM have no involvement with the content of the programme but their financial assistance (part of their ongoing commitment to best practice in the sector) enables Unipol to offer affordable training to those in the student accommodation sector. For more information about CRM please visit our sponsor’s page
Details of the training programme and events
Listed in the upcoming events section are the training events currently scheduled. Please click on an event for agenda and synopsis information. The website is constantly updated with new information. The details appear here first but are also sent out to our mail-base.