Transforming the student experience through purposeful collaboration
Career-embedded experiences
Students, both domestic and international, are increasingly seeking a tangible return on their investment in higher education. Employability outcomes now sit alongside academic quality as a primary decision driver.
Prospective students want clarity on how their course will translate into career progression through workplace skills, not just knowledge acquisition.
This shift is encouraging universities to re-examine how their programmes and services prepare students for the workplace. Universities offer a suite of employability support services to guide students as they look towards their post-graduation choices.
Through private partnerships, institutions can draw on specialist expertise in course innovation and access employer insight to mbed workplace-ready skills, applied learning, and industry exposure directly into degree programs. Unlocking this approach to employability helps ensure students graduate not only academically capable, but able to apply their knowledge to become professionally confident and work‑ready.
As part of the Northumbria QA Higher Education strategic partnership London Campus, students benefit from real-world experiential learning including business and computing simulations, leadership development program, employer-led consultancy projects and professional practice
development
Guy Brown, pro-vice chancellor at Northumbria University
Flexible delivery and access
Universities increasingly need to consider how they can strategically serve new and emerging student demographics, such as the growing share of students choosing to live at home and commute to study, with 30% doing so in 2024, up from 21% in 2015 (UCAS, 2025). Whilst universities have traditionally catered for a post-18 market where students go on to study a full-time undergraduate degree before pursuing their career or further study, there is a widespread understanding that more options are required to meet the needs of other types of students.
For many students, the barrier to higher education is not aspiration but practicality and mobility. Flexible delivery models, whether through timetable design, blended learning, or alternative modes of study, can open access to learners balancing work, family commitments, or other life responsibilities. By diversifying their programme offering, universities can strategically achieve their local, national and global impact objectives while building upon existing competencies and resources.
Big city locations and industry connectivity
A large factor in the overall experience of a student is the location of their place of study. This can determine their access to learning facilities, and enjoyment of local amenities as well as the quality of their social and professional life whilst studying.
As well as continuing to invest in main campus facilities, exploring new locations allows universities to widen their impact. New locations can allow for new employer connections in industries that may not be accessible from their traditional campuses. Establishing a presence in major city centres enables closer alignment with high‑demand job markets and emerging sectors.
For students, this proximity offers tangible benefits: early exposure to industry networks, opportunities to explore career pathways while studying, and the ability to make informed decisions about their professional futures.
Student support
No student journey is without challenge. Academic pressure, personal circumstances, and professional uncertainty are all part of the higher education experience.
Partnership models can play a critical role here, enabling universities to scale specialist student services, incubate and test new ideas, and build communities where students feel connected and supported throughout their studies. A strong support infrastructure is not a ‘nice to have’, but a core component of student success and retention.
In conclusion
Universities operate in an increasingly complex environment, and strengthening the student experience remains central to their mission. By working with the right partners, institutions can expand study options, deepen real‑world learning, and enhance the support available to students.
Visit QA Higher Education stand 29 at The PIE Live Europe 2026 to discuss how partnerships can enable the next evolution in the student experience for your university.
About the author: Maria McKenna is partnership director at QA Higher Education, where she leads on partnership strategy, working closely with our longstanding partner universities to grow their international, home and widening participation reach and builds new business opportunities with ambitious, quality-driven new university partners. A business leader with over 25 years in the international higher education sector, committed to creating opportunities for high quality institutions to establish long and fruitful partnerships and dedicated to ensuring success.
The post Transforming the student experience through purposeful collaboration appeared first on The PIE News.