Edinburgh Napier University drives student engagement with data through UniHub

Why Symplicity UniHub? 

Before implementing UniHub, Napier faced significant challenges in delivering effective online career services to its diverse student population. The need for a digital solution to reach over 20,000 students with varying needs was paramount. UniHub was chosen for its understanding of university operations and infrastructure, filling a crucial gap by providing a digital reach essential for engaging the entire student body. "We didn't have a system that helped us deliver effective online career services. The need to underpin our service with a digital reach was why we brought Symplicity UniHub in,” said Watling.

Napier's adoption of UniHub is a testament to the platform's flexibility and seamless integration into the university's existing processes. As Watling notes, UniHub is not just a tool but a part of the university's culture, indicating a high level of adoption and integration. This cultural adoption is evidenced by the platform's rebranding to "My Future," reflecting its centrality to student experiences and staff operations alike. For instance, UniHub underpins all appointments, job searches, and career events all customised with Napier’s branding. This integration into daily operations and cultural vocabulary across the campus has significantly enhanced engagement. Students love how easy it is to find jobs and book appointments. Plus, they appreciate the privacy features, especially for sensitive discussions. 

Data-driven career success for students at Edinburgh Napier University

Perhaps most critically, UniHub has empowered Napier to make data-driven decisions. The platform's reporting capabilities allow for detailed analysis of career appointments, industry engagement, and trends in placement and job opportunities. This wealth of data supports strategic planning, impact measurement, and continuous service improvement. "Data is absolutely everything in measuring our impact as a service," Watling said. “I do go back to my own university leadership team colleagues who I directly report into and it helps us break down what we are doing as a service and the impact we're having and showcase that to people that perhaps are pretty busy and just need the kind of top-line information.”  

The data Napier gains from UniHub enables Watling and his team to evaluate the department's success better and plan future initiatives. Additionally, thanks to UniHub, Watling and his team can track everything from career appointments to industry connections all within one platform enabling the Student Futures office to make smarter decisions and improve services for students. “We are hot on showcasing our industry connections and links and also looking at trends around placement opportunities, job opportunities for graduates, and part-time work. So all of that data and infrastructure that we can get from Symplicity is where we make most of our progress. And we also reflect on what the data's telling us to analyse our service for the following years and make effective plans and targets around what we need to do next,” Watling told Symplicity. 

“I do go back to my own university leadership team colleagues who I directly report into and it helps us break down what we are doing as a service and the impact we're having and showcase that to people that perhaps are pretty busy and just need the kind of top-line information.” 

Edinburgh Napier bridges the gap between education and employment with UniHub

Since onboarding with UniHub, Napier has been led by a strong client support team and is always “there when needed, ready to listen, and make things happen,” remarked Watling. “They’re always very much open to feedback, always ready to explore new projects with us and keen to look at how we can improve the partnership and listen to what we need as a university.”  

This partnership has enabled Watling and his team to explore how they can expand their future use of UniHub. In the summer of 2024, Napier deepened its focus on student success with a 3-year commitment to its Symplicity partnership. The university expands its reach by adopting UniHub Skills and UniHub Check-in, while also migrating to secure cloud services for enhanced performance and student access.

Watling and his team plan to dive deeper into student readiness outcomes with the data accessible in UniHub to identify how they can help students even more in their early careers, and utilise different workflows to feed into how Napier students engage with their services.  

Napier's utilisation of UniHub offers a robust example of how career services technology platforms can profoundly impact career readiness and university career services. By addressing challenges with tailored solutions, fostering deep integration and cultural adoption, engaging students and faculty effectively, and leveraging data for strategic decision-making, Napier has set a precedent for enhancing student career outcomes in the United Kingdom.

“We're excited to leverage Symplicity's UniHub platform in the new academic year, particularly the career readiness data and various workflows. This will allow us to gain deeper insights into student engagement with our career services and ultimately enhance our reporting capabilities. It's a big focus for the upcoming academic year as we strive to be even more effective in supporting student career success”

Adam Watling, Head of Student Futures, Edinburgh Napier University