Higher Ed and Apprenticeships
We create courses that bridge the gap between education and employment.
What’s the problem?
While 89% of employers believe graduates have sufficient theoretical knowledge, only 65% believe graduates can apply that knowledge in work contexts (QS Global Employer Survey)
Creating authentic learning experiences that bridge this gap requires significant time and specialised expertise—resources that are often stretched thin across competing priorities.
How do we solve it?
We work alongside your educational teams to create courses and learning experiences that authentically reflect workplace challenges while meeting your academic standards.
Our scenario-based learning approach integrates subject knowledge with essential professional capabilities in communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
“Ding showed us how we could translate our established and successful short course programme into an effective online learning experience, maintaining our distinctiveness and all important sense of place while focusing on student learning.”
Who do we work with?
We collaborate with Deputy Vice Chancellors, Chief Learning Officers, Heads of Education and Quality who are committed to enhancing student employability while maintaining the academic integrity and values of their institutions.
What makes us different?
Instead of seeing academic excellence and vocational relevance as competing priorities, we help you integrate them through carefully designed learning experiences that develop both domain knowledge and practical capabilities.
Use Cases
Scenario-Based Learning
Enhancing Employability at
IO-Sphere
Creating Applied Learning
Improving Apprenticeships at Multiverse
Leveraging Video
Providing Flexible Access and Participation at Measurelab
What support do you need?
Our Needs Analysis tool will help you determine the type of engagement that would best fit your requirements
“Working with Ding has had a huge impact on our learning content, making it more engaging and relevant for our learners. Ding expertly navigated our new platform and delivered high-quality content with impressive efficiency. Their unique blend of creativity, professionalism, and initiative sets a high bar in the industry. I absolutely loved working with them!”
Benefits of working with Ding
Scenario specialists
We have extensive experience of building authentic scenarios that develop workplace capabilities.
Former course leaders
Our team have led and delivered courses that achieved 100% satisfaction in the student survey.
Quality-focused
The work we do aligns with your quality metrics to deliver teaching excellence.
How it works
Step 1: Understand your context
We begin by learning about your educational philosophy, quality requirements, and student needs to ensure our work aligns with your institutional standards and frameworks.
Step 2: Integrate employability
Our team creates authentic workplace scenarios and learning activities that develop professional capabilities while meeting your academic requirements. Each element is carefully crafted to support meaningful learning.
Step 3: Support implementation
We provide comprehensive resources and guidance for your educational team, ensuring they can confidently facilitate workplace learning while maintaining your quality standards.
Where we can help
Enhancing degree programmes
We integrate authentic workplace learning activities into traditional academic courses, creating meaningful connections between theory and professional practice.
Developing apprenticeships
We develop work-based learning experiences that develop essential professional capabilities while meeting apprenticeship standards and employer expectations.
Supporting graduates into the workplace
We can design learning experiences that help students navigate the transition from education to employment, developing the capabilities employers value most.
Frequently asked questions
"How do you maintain academic standards while developing workplace skills?"
We believe that academic rigor and workplace relevance can strengthen each other. Our approach begins with a thorough understanding of your learning outcomes and academic requirements.
We then create workplace scenarios that require students to apply academic knowledge to authentic professional challenges. This integration actually deepens subject understanding while developing practical capabilities. For example, a healthcare scenario might require students to apply scientific knowledge while developing communication skills with patients—enhancing both elements simultaneously.
"How do you ensure authentic workplace learning?"
We develop our scenarios through careful research and consultation with industry partners. Our team includes people with significant workplace experience across different sectors who understand the nuances of professional environments.
We pay close attention to the subtle realities of workplace culture and practice, ensuring scenarios feel genuine rather than contrived. We also regularly review and update our approaches to reflect evolving workplace practices.
"How do you support our teaching staff who may not have recent industry experience?"
This is a common challenge, and so we create comprehensive support resources for educators. These include detailed facilitation guides with anticipated student questions, discussion prompts, and guidance on navigating complex workplace scenarios.
We offer workshops for your teaching team and can provide ongoing mentoring as they become comfortable with this approach. Our materials explain the workplace context and rationale behind scenarios to build educator confidence.
"Can your support flex as our needs change?"
Absolutely. We structure our collaboration to adapt to your changing priorities. We can provide more support during intensive development periods and scale back during quieter times.
Many organizations we work with maintain an ongoing relationship that expands and contracts based on their needs, giving them flexible access to additional expertise without the commitment of full-time hires.
"Can you adapt your approach to different subject areas?"
Absolutely. We have experience creating workplace learning across diverse disciplines, from business and healthcare to engineering and creative industries.
We work closely with your subject experts to ensure scenarios authentically reflect the specific challenges of your field while developing transferable professional capabilities. We adapt easily to different contexts while maintaining consistent quality and effectiveness.
"How do you measure impact on employability?"
We help you establish meaningful ways to understand the effect of workplace learning on student outcomes. This typically includes gathering feedback from students on preparation for employment, collecting employer perspectives on graduate capabilities, and tracking relevant metrics like employment rates and career progression.
We focus on creating a holistic picture of how your educational provision enhances student success beyond graduation.
Get in touch
Have a coffee
We’re always happy to talk about learning projects. Put in a meeting and we can chat over a coffee.
Connect with us
We share insights and stories about our adventures on LinkedIn, and run regular live events.
Tell us your needs
Find out how we can help you increase the performance of your courses and training.