In the third of a series of blogs from contributors to our 2026 Case Study Compendium, 'Making the 3Es as easy as A, B, C', Frantzeska Kolyda, Helena Disu, both from the University of Westminster and Johnathan Lucky, Sky, ask, 'In an increasingly complex, rapidly evolving and interconnected world, how do we prepare our students to be ‘fit for the future’?
1. The need for a holistic strategic approach
Graduate Outcomes data is used by the Government and others to understand the Higher Education (HE) sector and the state of the graduate labour market. It is often used within league tables as a proxy for student employability and linked to employers’ expectations in relation to the necessary competencies of graduates to ensure a positive impact upon recruitment (Advance HE, 2024). It is important, therefore, that we understand how to support students’ career development during HE as well as the factors that influence how their career interests develop so that we could design learning environments that best support students (Quinlan & Corbin, 2023).
There is a need for a holistic strategic approach to develop and maintain long-term, adaptive and meaningful industry partnerships that will be both beneficial to HE as well as to industry. Such collaboration offers opportunities, informs the curriculum, and is a key element of our approach to employability (Advance HE, 2024). Co-designing curricula meaningfully with industry partners as well as students will help us provide students with a clearer understanding of how learning connects to their future careers, while supporting retention and graduate success (Naumann, Baker & Goode, 2025). At the same time, it will help industry gain insights into student needs and how best to enhance student career readiness.
Our experience also highlighted that to be able to create effective and successful work-based learning (WBL) environments, institutions and departments should support, listen to and recognise educators and teams who play a pivotal role in developing such partnerships, designing and implementing innovative, evidence-based pedagogical approaches and managing live projects as part of WBL modules and curricula.
2. The need to focus on specific module and course requirements
Our case study focuses on a WBL Level 5 module, Agile Project Management and Professional Experience, in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Westminster, and the approach we followed.
The module’s learning and teaching methods are inclusive, with practical, active and inquiry focused learning activities designed to support students in their engagement with the assessment. In this way, the assessment is placed at the very heart of the module and becomes its central component. The group coursework, a live brief, is authentic, industry-relevant and allows students to actively learn, collaborate, focus on the process as well as the output, and build on and demonstrate knowledge and skills.
Our team (consisted of the Module Leader, our Industry Exchange Project Officer and our Industry Partner) worked together to create a live group project, where students worked in an agile framework, and proposed a solution to a real business problem that Sky engineering teams were facing. Given the nature of the module and its assessment, rich feedback, iterative improvement, and reflection are essential.
The experience has been invaluable to students and fully aligned with our employability provision, helping our students to be ‘fit for the future’ in the most challenging, cutting-edge labour markets and economic environments. The approach followed was an example of how employability could be best embedded in modules and courses for all students to flourish and succeed. It provided insights and evidence that such initiatives should not be considered as ‘one size fits all’ but as opportunities to empower and inspire students to have agency, to acquire the skills, and confidence to shape their own career journey.
3. The need for reflection and continuous enhancement
The project with Sky has been a great learning curve, being able to immerse ourselves in various techniques related to agile and project management, covering a wide range of skills and methodologies. For me, the Sky project was multifaceted and dynamic, encompassing both technical and leadership responsibilities. It was a rewarding experience that allowed me to further develop my skills, expand my knowledge, and make a tangible impact within our team and beyond.
The Student experience
This experience has been transformative for our students and a unique opportunity to participate in authentic learning and purposeful engagement with industry. Our student testimonies demonstrated how much they valued such opportunities and how these inspired them and made them more determine to learn, to develop and to grow professionally. So proud to see our students thrive!
The Module Leader experience
I was truly amazed by the students’ creativity and enthusiasm throughout the project. They adeptly navigated intentionally vague requirements, posed insightful questions to clarify their understanding, and ultimately presented solutions that addressed a real need within my department at Sky. This experience mirrors the dynamics of real-world projects, where teams must often work through uncertainties, collaborate with stakeholders, and devise solutions that genuinely benefit customers.
The Industry Partner experience
Within my role as an Industry Exchange Project Officer, I see how impactful it can be when academics work alongside professional services and industry to bring WBL to life for students. When these relationships are aligned, it creates a model that delivers an experience for students that is embedded in the reality of work.
The Industry Exchange Project Officer experience
Future directions
This case study includes elements that could be transferable to other modules, courses, and disciplines. It demonstrates the need for flexibility, sustainability, and authentic engagement, and underscores that it is the people – their passion, professionalism, and dedication – who make the difference. It is essential to support and invest in them. Universities need to cultivate safe spaces for pedagogical innovation and the co-creation of bold, meaningful educational experiences, while evolving into dynamic ecosystems that listen deeply to the aspirations of both educators and learners (Bryant, 2024).
Access the Compendium here:The 3Es: as easy as A, B, C?
Join us at our Employability Symposium 2026, 10 March
This symposium offers the chance for colleagues to discover new practices, challenge others to progress, and discuss insights into employability in higher education.
The Employability Symposium 2026 aims to bring together cutting-edge examples – such as these case studies – of how employability can be embedded at school, faculty/college and/or institutional levels.
