Higher Education 

Partnering with the Higher Education sector, transforming organisations to influence, change, and adapt for a sustainable future. 

We are a leading source of expertise and experience working with Universities and Higher Education providers to deliver a global workforce that’s fit for the future. Think’s vision uniquely sets us apart from others with a clear and established history of providing a well-qualified workforce in partnership with employers and industry. 

Strategy and Stability

 

Our expertise and experience support Universities to steer institutional strategy towards success in an ambitious and competitive marketplace. Think collaborates with institutions in seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges to maintain stability in a changing environment. 

We partner with universities to deliver:  

  • Progressive strategy development and implementation plans, providing an empowered vision for the future. 

  • Enterprising finance and resource planning, providing a thoughtful roadmap to strategic ambition. 

  • International strategies to advance global engagement, inter-cultural exchange and rise to geopolitical challenges.  

  • Insightful sales and marketing strategy with a focus on occupationally led student recruitment. 

  • Responsive portfolio review and design, developing knowledge skills for the future.  

  • Project delivery and recovery improving effectiveness and efficiency. 

Business and Industry Expertise

 

Think’s breadth and depth in working with Business and Industry enables Universities to build mutually beneficial partnerships bringing about significant outcomes and creating impactful change.

Our work enables:  

  • Strategic partnership approaches with business and industry to revolutionise higher education. 

  • Engagement with business, regional and national government, supporting regeneration and growth. 

  • Knowledge transfer partnership, bringing constructive collaboration between academics and organisations. 

  • Civic engagement strategies, producing knowledge and products that are valuable assets for public interest. 

  • Co-operation between universities and SMEs, playing a fundamental role in economic development. 

Employer Alliance and Engagement

 

We collaborate with employers and wider organisations beyond the transactional to shape priorities and evaluate success.

Our work with employers results in:  

  • Access to a broad spectrum of organisations, expanding and diversifying relationship opportunities.

  • Collaborative employer networks, enhancing pedagogy and engaging learning experiences.

  • Strategic and transformational insight, leading to productive cultural engagement with employers.

  • Transformative thinking and approaches to two-way employer engagement and partnership. 

  • Client focused and industry specific account management, providing excellence in service and responsiveness. 

  • Development and implementation of curriculum design and delivery, in response to labour market analysis and client engagement. 

Vocational Education and Apprenticeships

 

Think values opportunities outside a traditional academic route to provide wider and more relevant choices for young people.

Our considerable experience enhances Higher Education Institution’s abilities to:   

  • Create meaningful employer relationships, via client focused and sector specific account management.  

  • Dynamically adapt institutional provision, via collaboration on programme design and organisational strategy. 

  • Enter the apprenticeship market, accessing a new student demographic enhancing social mobility. 

  • Succeed within the market, by facilitating policy analysis, business insight and engaging relationships with external bodies.  

  • Assess success and respond to performance opportunities, via embedded management information, data analytics and reporting data. 

  • Positively engage with OFSTED, via preparation and mock audits. 

Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

 

Think works closely with universities horizon scanning and benchmarking to support and facilitate decision making regarding opportunities.

Our work includes:

  • Comprehensive market insight, services beyond the status quo supporting longitudinal planning.  

  • Delivery of proactive, tailored, and actionable advice, through insight and analysis to university leaders. 

  • Enhancing external participation, with government and policy commentators shaping the legislative agenda. 

  • Business planning advice, support, and guidance to enable continuous, integrated and strategically responsive planning.  

  • Transformational and strategic project management, to encourage innovation and sustain excellence.

  • Developing corporate information platforms, modernising business intelligence capability to improve corporate outcomes. 

  • Advanced delivery of risk management, increasing range of opportunities for evolution. 

People and Workforce.

 

Think’s approach to workforce strategy and culture development achieves business objectives, enhances existing talent, and creates opportunity for innovation

Our approach enables: 

  • Effective transformation of organisational behaviour. 

  • Communications strategies and behaviours enabling early adoption of strategy and implementation. 

  • Creation of effective and enhanced governance, to drive performance and maximise opportunity.   

  • Support for people and organisations, to be more prosperous by influencing skills and policy implementing workforce development strategy.  

  • The development of high performing teams, with cross departmental synergy. 

  • Institutional and departmental support, pre and post significant organisational change. 

Are you looking for support to advance the breadth and depth of employer enagement, secure future financial stability and deliver improved academic outcomes?

To speak to our Higher Education team, contact Olivia McLaughlin, Consultant Director: olivia.mclaughlin@think.uk.com