Most universities here are liberal arts universities. There are some vocational ones, but they generally get fewer applicants and hold less prestige. Often a city will have two universities - one focused on liberal arts and one vocational. The liberal arts one will generally be called “University of X” or “X University”, while the vocational one will have another name attached to it. For example, my university is the University of Sheffield, while it’s more vocational counterpart is Sheffield Hallam University.

I think the reason there aren’t as many vocational universities is because we basically have the vocational/educational distinction a bit earlier. From the age of 16, we either start A-levels, which is like a very specialized continuation of education (you do 3 subjects at a higher level of study) or go to a college, which is sort of like training for a trade. But, as is not surprising for England, there’s a pretty big class divide in this, and going to a college is less prestigious.