Leeds Trinity University is supporting the MillionPlus #ThinkModern campaign, which launches today (14 May) with an event at the Palace of Westminster. The campaign highlights the enormous contribution to the UK made by modern universities - those which achieved University status since 1992 - and their students.?

Modern universities represent more than half of the UK's higher education sector, educating over a million students a year, delivering world-class teaching and research, broadening participation, transforming lives and delivering a highly skilled workforce for employers of many kinds. These universities - including Leeds Trinity - thrive at meeting the challenges posed in a rapidly changing world. They have a huge impact across the UK and do much of the hard work in developing key skills for the future jobs market.

The MillionPlus #ThinkModern campaign asks that if government wants to:boost productivity, innovation and technological advances in industry to meet tomorrow's challenges,improve recruitment, retention and impact of the public service workforce in our NHS, schools, police forces and local communities, andincrease the aspiration and opportunities for people from all walks of life by ensuring flexible pathways into higher education, supporting them on their learning journey

they need to #ThinkModern.

The campaign explores the work of these universities, focusing on six theme areas - Making Britain Work; Pathways, Partnerships and Productivity; Creative and Technological Skills for the 21st Century; Innovation and Research; Aspiration, Opportunity and Inclusion; and Entrepreneurial, Enterprising, Enriching.

Professor Dave Phoenix, Chair of MillionPlus and Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University, said:

"Modern universities are focused on addressing the key issues that we face as a nation and are educational powerhouses through the work they do in exchanging knowledge and innovation with industry and by skilling workers for employment, many in our public services.

"Britain works - from town planners to architects, scientists to radiographers and researchers, breast screening nurses to physiotherapists, artists to entrepreneurs, software engineers to video-game designers - because of the graduate workforce that modern universities deliver. Currently, for example more than 60% of Initial Teacher Education students and more than 70% of nursing students study at a modern university."

Leeds Trinity University was established as two teacher training colleges in 1966 and has more than fifty years' experience in educating teachers. The institution diversified its course offering in the 1970s and pioneered the inclusion of professional work placements with every degree - which is still offered today. The institution achieved University status in 2012 and has since expanded its portfolio even further - offering undergraduate degree courses in Creative and Professional Writing, Digital Media, Law and Professional Policing, and developing a number of higher and degree apprenticeships in Supply Chain Logistics, Business to Business Sales and Chartered Management to name a few.

Professor Margaret A House OBE, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University, said:

"From 'Making Britain Work' through fifty years of teacher education, embedding employability into the curriculum through extensive work with more than 8,000 businesses annually and developing new courses and degree apprenticeships, to raising aspirations, recruiting students from all backgrounds and substantially growing our research community, we are proud to support the #ThinkModern campaign to promote the excellent work of universities, like ours, across the country."

MillionPlus is the Association for Modern Universities in the UK, and the voice of 21st century higher education. Today's event will be held in the State Rooms at Speaker's House, kindly hosted by the Speaker, The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, and will give parliamentarians the chance to meet with modern university students and staff. ?

Follow the campaign on the MillionPlus website and on Twitter, using the hashtag#ThinkModern.