Modern Slavery Statement

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is a specialist institution in the UK higher education sector delivering in the areas of art, design, media and performance. We aspire to be the leading arts university dedicated to creative education and career success. We currently have just under 4,000 students attending full-time, part-time and short courses at our compact campus in Wallisdown near the centre of Bournemouth.

The University comprises of four schools: the School of Arts and Communication, the School of Design and Architecture, the Bournemouth Film School and the Graduate School; in addition, through AUB Open Campus, it delivers Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media, and an extensive range of Short Courses, all of which provide learning and progression opportunities for students of all ages. We employ just under 500 full-time and part-time staff and number of visiting tutors and casual staff in addition, depending on need. The Academic Schools are supported by a range of professional services to include finance, human resources, registry, quality, campus services, marketing and others.

The University is an exempt charity regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). It has two subsidiaries AUB Enterprises Limited and AUB Services Limited (dormant); and an associated charitable company, the Arts University Bournemouth Charitable Foundation. Its annual consolidated turnover is in the region of £55 million (2023/24) with income primarily generated in the UK.

More information about us and our activities is available on this website.

As a values-driven institution, our values underpin all that we do. We promote a community where all individuals matter, where wellbeing is paramount and pastoral care is of the highest quality, where we're driven by our pursuit of social justice and the common good, and where people, the planet, and all living things are held in the highest regard. We're committed to improving our business practices to combat modern slavery and human trafficking and to ensure that we're not complicit in any human rights violations. We're committed to zero tolerance of slavery and human trafficking or child labour practices.

In keeping with our commitment to act with integrity in all our business dealings, many of our existing policies govern how the University conducts its business activities, to include sustainable, ethical, economic and social considerations in its purchase of goods and services and the employment of staff. Where relevant, our policies extend to our suppliers in expectation of adherence to external regulations and University principles.

Relevant policies include:

• Purchasing Procedure;
• Ethical Investment Policy;
• Safeguarding Policy and Procedure;
• Recruitment Policy;
• Health and Safety Policy;
• Dignity at Work Policy;
• Disciplinary Procedure;
• Whistleblowing (Public Interest and Disclosure) Policy.

The University is raising student and staff awareness by having Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking as a standing item on the Environment Committee, which considers the impact of a wide range of University activities.

AUB mitigates the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking within its own staff community by following fair HR recruitment and selection policies and procedures. Checks are carried out to ensure that staff recruited are legally able to work in the UK and staff involved in undertaking the recruitment process are trained in the online recruitment system and related scoring. In addition, the University’s pay rates are determined in line with UCEA national awards and AUB is working with contractors it uses so that they apply the Living Wage.

Where recruitment agencies are used, AUB requires that such agencies comply with all UK legislation relating to the employment rights and welfare of candidates.

We also publish a range of procedures setting out our approach to wellbeing at work, diversity and inclusion; and health and safety.

We comply with all pay related legislation including the UK national minimum wage adhere to the Living Wage.

Our Campus Services team ensure that our campuses are safe places to work and oversee our compliance with health and safety legislation.

The supply chain to AUB is diverse and we buy a wide range of goods and services to support the effective running of the University, e.g. construction and estates services, furniture and stationery, electronics (computers, audiovisual, etc.), travel services, books and printing, security services, waste and recycling services. The goods and services are procured from suppliers across the world and our First Tier Suppliers range from locally based micro-businesses through to large multinational/global companies. The vast majority of our purchases are from suppliers based within the UK.

AUB purchases goods and services through a number of purchasing consortia, including but not limited to Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC), Crown Commercial Service (CCS), Crescent Purchasing Consortia (CPC), and The Energy Consortium (TEC). The University is an associate member of SUPC, which in turn is a member of Procurement England Limited (PEL), which has published a shared Sustainability Policy to which all PEL member consortia are committed, and the SUPC has itself published its own Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement to demonstrate its work in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking. We channel in excess of 30% of the value of our addressable spend through SUPC and other agreements arranged by higher education and public sector purchasing consortia or frameworks.

While the risks of modern slavery in our direct activities is likely to be low, we recognise that there are risks through the goods and services that we procure linked to supply chains around the world. Supply chains including security, construction/estates goods and services, catering/food supply chains, cleaning/domestic services, ICT equipment; and clothing and textiles.

The University continues to hold and apply its Fairtrade Kitemark. Increasing the range of products bearing the Fairtrade Kitemark that are sold by the University ensures that the relevant parts of its supply chain are more likely to meet Fairtrade standards that protect workers' rights and guarantee payment of a minimum price.

AUB chooses its business partners, suppliers and contractors with great care and there are already systems in place to:

• Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chain;
• Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chains;
• Mitigate against the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring through background checks;
• Protect whistleblowers and report unethical conduct;
• Build relationships with recognised purchasing consortia, which have suitable anti-slavery and human trafficking policies and processes; and
• Include contract clauses which don't tolerate slavery and human trafficking.

The University doesn't tolerate slavery and human trafficking of any kind. Its tendering and contracting processes ask due diligence questions of suppliers in respect of Ethics and the Modern Slavery Act and our standard terms and conditions have clauses covering modern slavery and human trafficking. AUB expects its First Tier Suppliers to ensure their goods, materials and labour related supply chains are fully compliant with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and that they're transparent, accountable and auditable.

The University will investigate the application of the NETpositive Supplier Engagement (HE) Tool to provide a single mechanism to engage contracted and non-contracted suppliers with issues of modern slavery and human trafficking. This tool has been developed by a number of northern university consortia and it’s gaining traction in this area.

The AUB already has dedicated officers who are aware of the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act and the principles of human rights within:

• Procurement and Finance; and
• Human Resources.

These officers receive regular training and updating of knowledge to ensure compliance and embracement of new initiatives.

The University is committed to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 8 – 'Decent Work and Economic Growth' – and Goal 10 – ‘Reduced Inequalities.’

AUB is developing its Sustainability Programme for the period 2021–2030 and will have ambitious sustainability goals to ‘reduce our emissions and become net zero by 2030’ and to become a ‘fast follower’ of HEIs committed to tackling the UN Sustainable Development Goals.’

We'll monitor, record and benchmark the extent to which activities may be deemed to be in contravention of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 either in the employment of staff or the procurement of goods and services from suppliers. AUB will work tirelessly to minimise the occurrence of incidents of slavery and human trafficking and focus its efforts on the activities which are deemed to be higher risk.

Simon Hamilton
Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
November 2024