A trailblazing education
programme that has its origins in North East England is being rolled out in
universities across the country and overseas.
Northumbria
University’s award-winning Business Clinic launched its experiential learning
programme in 2013 to create opportunities for students to work on live projects
which help organisations address real-world challenges. It has proved to be a
resounding success, delivering 870 consultancy projects involving circa 3,500
students in the last decade.
Now the Business Clinic
is helping other universities to roll out the concept in other areas of the UK
and overseas. It has provided information and advice to more than a dozen
universities including York St John, Huddersfield, Leeds and Aston in the UK,
as well as Deakin University in Victoria, Australia.
Launched by experienced
academic and industry specialist Nigel Coates in 2013, the Business Clinic offers
pro-bono consultancy support to SMEs, multi-national organisations, charitable
organisations, educational trusts and social enterprises that operate across a
wide range of sectors, both in the North East of England as well as further
afield in the UK and overseas.
Students work at the Business Clinic within their final
year of study, offering clients a full consultancy experience that takes in projects
as diverse as feasibility studies including finance, investment and growth; HR
including recruitment, retention and diversity; marketing including branding
and digital; business analytics; logistics and supply chain management. The aim
of each project is to undertake detailed research and make practical recommendations
that will benefit organisations in the short and long term.
Ed Cottam, Director of
the Business Clinic, said: “We are thrilled to be helping other universities
trial a concept that has worked so well in the North East. Not only has our
experiential learning programme enabled students to apply their knowledge,
skills and entrepreneurial talent to find solutions to real-world problems, it
has also helped hundreds of organisations to become more robust, competitive
and efficient.
“Our aim is to give
students the best chance of gaining meaningful employment, particularly those
from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, and to help organisations
solve day-today challenges. The benefits of our programme are numerous so it makes
sense to support other academic institutions that want to implement similar
programmes in other parts of the UK and overseas. This will add value to dozens
of other organisations, act as a catalyst for economic growth and create further
opportunities for students to get invaluable experience that will help them
progress in their chosen careers.”
Sarah Czarnecki, Director
of The Business Clinic at York St John University Business School, said: “Universities
are increasingly looking to The Business Clinic at Northumbria
University as a leading model of experiential learning and vehicle for
regional and national impact working with businesses. As universities come
under increasing pressure to demonstrate good value, institutions are
turning to the clinic as an exemplar of meaningful and impact higher
education. The Experiential Learning Clinic worked with me, as Director in
another UK University Business School, offering advice and mentorship in order
that we follow their model in our work with students and local businesses
providing consultancy project support. This underlines the impact The
Experiential Learning Clinic is having in modern business
school strategy. Theirs is a formative model to which we aspire
whilst we have been developing our own clinical education.”
Keeley Hutton, Clinic and Stakeholder Engagement Officer at
the University of Huddersfield, said: “The team at Northumbria Business Clinic
have gone above and beyond to help us in our journey to exploring business
clinic opportunities. They have welcomed us onto campus, provided us with an
opportunity to speak to clinic students and been truly honest about the journey
they have experienced through their own trials, successes and tribulations.
Their advice and encouragement have provided Huddersfield with the ideas and
options on how to drive our very own clinic forward. So much so, we are
trailing a small pilot in 2026! Watch this space. Thanks must go to this
amazing team.”
Northumbria University has been ranked top in the North
East for graduate business start-ups based on estimated turnover, according to
the latest Higher Education Business and Communities Interaction (HEBCIS)
survey. Ranked fourth in the UK for the academic year 2023/24,
Northumbria has now been in the top 10 nationally for graduate enterprises in
each of the past 16 years under this metric. The university was also the
highest placed in the region and seventh in the UK measured by the estimated
current employment rate of active graduate firms.
