Developing confident graduates for the workplace
In the digital era, universities need to future-proof their courses while preparing students to thrive in a graduate job market that is being disrupted and reshaped by AI. Ravensbourne University London pioneers industry-led innovation and academic transformation, nurturing close collaboration with industry to redesign its curriculum based on workplace readiness and future skills. It relaunched its postgraduate curriculum in 2025 through three new schools, covering creativity, business and technology, said Kellie Vincent, executive dean of the School of Business, Management and Commerce at the university, during a session held in partnership with Perlego at the 2026 Digital Universities UK event.
“Companies are embedding AI even more, and the need for AI and digital literacy skills is becoming even more important,” said Katharine Templeton, head of UK partnerships at Perlego. Industry and sector knowledge and relevant work experience are similarly essential, Templeton said.
Ravensbourne University London has always had close ties with industry, said Vincent. However, industry context is now embedded in every academic area so that students can be more prepared when they graduate. “We have got to make them ready for industry and business, not just how they operate in their own craft,” said Vincent. To support this, all undergraduate students at Ravensbourne are required to complete workplace learning modules. The campus buildings are centred around studio space rather than lecture theatres, encouraging students to work on projects together.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is helping build a sense of belonging for the new faculty members and students at Ravensbourne. Practical experiences and industry partnerships are core pillars of the academic journey at the university. For example, the beverage company Innocent visited the campus and invited students to explore why its products are less popular with young adults. The university has welcomed other industry partners, such as Zurich Insurance, to work with students from various disciplines to solve industry challenges.
The institution collaborates with employers to pinpoint skills gaps within its programmes, while analysing recruitment data to determine which programmes attract the most interest. It also draws on top skills and competencies identified by organisations such as the World Economic Forum to design courses. “We have to think about what skills will be needed in the future, so students can build their portfolio and story from day one,” she said.
In addition to the university libraries, all students have access to resources through Perlego to support their projects. “They use Perlego avidly across the suite to pull together their own book lists and evidence their commitment to creativity and technology,” Vincent said.
Competencies are built into assessments and university staff make sure they are a golden thread in everything, from events to digital credentials. In the first semester of the 2026 academic year, the number of students who passed the first time went up by 30 per cent. The institution uses data from Perlego to identify the texts and resources that are widely used, offer the most benefit to students and support them to become workforce-ready graduates.
The panel:
- Katharine Templeton, head of UK partnerships, Perlego
- Kellie Vincent, executive dean, School of Business, Management and Commerce, Ravensbourne University London
Find out more about Perlego.
