The Open University

Civil marriage and religious vows – new study calls for flexibility

4 December 2018

With the law currently forbidding the use of religious elements in civil marriage, Dr Stephanie Pywell, Senior Lecturer at The Open University and Professor Rebecca Probert, Professor of Law at The University of Exeter have worked closely with registrars to call for a reform to allow more flexibility. Working with registrars Stephanie and Rebecca’s research is […]

Champion for mid-life working women recognised with award

28 November 2018

Professor Jo Brewis (pictured on the left, with Dame Cilla Snowball, chair of the Women’s Business Council) has been awarded the Staying On Award 2018 by the Women’s Business Council, which is a business-led initiative to advise on how women’s contribution to economic growth can be optimised. Recognised for her work in raising the profile […]

Open University free law clinic highly commended at pro bono legal awards

31 October 2018

The Open Justice Centre’s Law Clinic, which offers free online legal advice led by OU students supervised by qualified solicitors, was highly commended in the LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards. They received their award in the ‘Best new pro bono activity’ category at the award ceremony at the Law Society in London on Monday 3 […]

Police in hi-visibility jackets policing crowd control at a UK event

Baseline Survey Report published: Implementing the Transformation of Police Learning and Development:

17 August 2018

The ‘Implementing the Transformation of Police Training, Learning and Development’ Project released their Baseline Survey Report this week. The project is led by the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), working in collaboration with The Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning. 32 police forces in England and Wales contributed to the […]

Back to the future: looking back at predictions on regional development

6 August 2018

In 2009, in celebration of the Open University’s 40th Anniversary, we asked academics from around the University to predict what the future would look like in their areas of study. Now, as we approach the OU’s 50 Anniversary, we asked the same academics to revisit their predictions, reflect on their accuracy, and reset them for […]

The Prosecutors: new series throws light on Crown Prosecution Service

25 July 2018

The second series of The Prosecutors, co-produced by The Open University and Gold Star Productions for the BBC, begins on Thursday 2 August at 9pm on BBC Two, with the second episode following a week later. This series uncovers more about our Criminal Justice System’s workings, following the prosecutors tackling an organised criminal gang who […]

Three days is still too long to hold pregnant women in immigration detention

25 July 2018

It’s been two years since a coalition of lobbying groups in the UK successfully challenged Home Office policy on the immigration detention of pregnant women. Under the new policy, enforced in mid-July 2016, pregnant women can now only be detained for a maximum of 72 hours (three days), or up to one week with the […]

New OU report reveals financial cost of the skills shortage

16 July 2018

Organisations across the UK are having to spend £6.3 billion to plug the gap in skills on recruitment fees, temporary staffing, salaries and additional training to remain productive, according to our new report released on Monday 16 July. The Open University Business Barometer, which monitors the skills landscape of the UK, also reveals that most […]

Photo of volunteer serving food in homeless shelter

Research reveals smaller charities play a vital role in our society

13 July 2018

Research involving the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL) in The Open University Business School has discovered that local small and medium-sized charities (SMCs) in England and Wales are making a huge contribution to our society. The report, The Value of Small, revealed that when tackling social issues like homelessness, domestic abuse or mental ill […]

The OU Business School marks highest achieving students and alumni of 2018

29 June 2018

The Open University Business School (OUBS) celebrated its highest achieving students and the alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to an organisation or to society at its annual awards ceremony in Milton Keynes. The OUBS Student and Alumni Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of the School’s high-calibre students and alumni. The Awards commend the […]

OU News

Category: Business and law