The University of Westminster delivered a presentation at the 2026 AdvanceHE Employability Symposium where they showcased the best ways to boost student’s job prospects. The presentation outlined Westminster’s work integrating real industry client briefs into teaching to provide students with professional experience and connections before graduating.
University of Westminster colleagues Dr Maria Bortnovskaya and Professor Paul Dwyer delivered a presentation titled Nothing Can Go Wrong: Live Briefs, Innovation and Employability at this year’s AdvanceHE Employability Symposium. The annual symposium brought together innovative examples of how career support can be embedded at school, college and institutional levels.
The talk highlighted how Live Briefs that connect students with industry partners on real-life projects can be implemented into assessments to benefit both students and businesses.
Live Briefs make student work and qualifications easier for employers to understand by turning what students learn into real-world tasks, with clear outputs such as reports, pitches, campaigns and presentations. They also create meaningful interaction between employers and students, and support students to evidence skills, behaviours and potential in their CVs and LinkedIn profiles.
For students, Live Briefs strengthen the connection between classroom learning and employment, particularly as the tasks are linked to assessment, reviewed by industry partners and supported with feedback from employers, and can be used as evidence of skills when applying for jobs.
Preparing students for career readiness forms a key ambition of Zone29, the University’s new home for careers and enterprise due to open in Spring 2026. The opening of Zone29 will create new practical opportunities for learning and engagement with employers within and outside of the curriculum in an inclusive, sustainable environment.
About her Live Project experience Digital Marketing Management MSc student Isabella Capra said: “This interaction not only broadened my understanding of different sectors and their unique challenges but also highlighted underlying commonalities across industries. My journey took a particularly exciting turn with KURK. Our interaction didn’t just end with a Q&A session; it continued beyond the classroom through a LinkedIn connection. This led to an internship with KURK, an opportunity for which I am currently engaged and deeply thankful.”
About the symposium Dr Maria Bortnovskaya, Lecturer in Management and Marketing at the University of Westminster, said: “Presenting at the AdvanceHE Employability Symposium highlighted how Live Briefs can transform student learning into real-world impact. Through the joint efforts of our academic and Business Engagement teams together with industry partners, our students gain the skills, confidence and connections they need to succeed after graduation. The development of Zone29 represents a significant step in scaling these opportunities across the institution even further.”
This programme directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Zone29 at the University of Westminster.
