Moving from manual processes to a comprehensive career management system
Queen’s University Belfast is a prestigious UK Russell Group university known for its world-class research and student-centred ethos. Established in 1845, Queen’s is a leading higher education institution, recognised globally for its academic excellence. The university prides itself on graduate employability, with 91% of graduates in employment or further study within 15 months of graduation (81% employed, 71% in highly skilled, graduate job roles). Since implementing Symplicity CSM in 2014, the university has significantly transformed student and employer engagement while enhancing data-driven operations.
Challenges faced before implementing Symplicity CSM
Before adopting Symplicity CSM, Queen’s faced several challenges:
- Lack of a centralised career management system:
Before 2014, Queen’s had no integrated career management system. The university relied on a basic online jobs board and manual, paper-based processes for appointments and event tracking.
- Disconnected student and employer experiences:
Employers had limited autonomy to upload and manage job postings, while students faced fragmented processes for accessing opportunities.
- Ineffective data reporting:
The absence of an integrated system made it difficult to measure impact and track student engagement, limiting the ability to make data-driven decisions.
“Before implementing Symplicity CSM, our career management approach was fragmented and largely manual. We had no effective way to track student engagement or properly support our employer partners.”
– Eimear Gallagher, Business Operations Manager, Queen’s University Belfast
With growing expectations around employability outcomes for students, Queen’s needed a modern, flexible and data-driven solution to enhance both student and employer engagement.
Symplicity CSM - an integrated, flexible career services platform
To streamline its career services, Queen’s Careers, Employability & Skills implemented Symplicity CSM, a comprehensive platform designed to connect students, staff and employers in one seamless ecosystem.
With Symplicity CSM, Queen’s has:
- Established a centralised career management system for Students:
By branding the platform as My Future, Queen’s has created a recognisable, user-friendly portal for career services for students and recent graduates, offering job listings, appointments, events, and placements in one place.
- Improved employer engagement: The platform provides Queen's with world class online tools to manage employer relationships. Employers now have direct access to upload job postings and manage their listings, fostering greater collaboration and partnership. They can also create their own profiles, book into Careers Fairs and post information sessions for Queen’s students.
- Enhanced data-driven decision-making:
Integrated Power BI dashboards allow Queen’s to monitor engagement and track graduate outcomes in real-time, enabling more strategic interventions.
- Increased student engagement: CSM's user-friendly interface encourages students to access career resources and apply for opportunities through a single, streamlined platform and/or app.
- Streamlined event and placement management:
Tools like the experiential learning module and Pathways are highly customisable and can support an unlimited number of placement delivery models. These are tailored to student needs and enable staff to manage placements efficiently, track student progress, and support long-term career development.
“Symplicity CSM is more than just a platform; it’s a partnership. The support we receive is exceptional and we know that our ideas and feedback are valued. This community-driven approach is what makes it truly special.”
– Stephanie Drain, Systems Officer, Queen’s University Belfast
Enhanced efficiency, data-driven strategies, and stronger employability outcomes
Since implementing Symplicity CSM in 2014, Queen’s University Belfast has achieved significant improvements in its career services.
The availability of the platform has been a major factor in facilitating improvements:
- Improved graduate employability rankings: Queen’s has risen to first among Russell Group universities for graduate employability, with 89% of undergraduates securing skilled employment within 15 months. Improving access to local placement and graduate labour market opportunities and being able to access Symplicity curated jobs feeds to boost the number and range of advertised posts, has been a significant factor in the improvement.
- Higher student engagement:
The platform now serves 47,000 students and graduates, with a 60% engagement rate among undergraduates and postgraduates.
- Data-driven insights for proactive support:
The integration of Power BI dashboards allows Queen’s to track engagement trends in real-time, identify students at risk, and implement targeted interventions.
- More efficient service delivery: Automating workflows, such as Careers fairs administration, appointment bookings and placement tracking, has reduced administrative workload and freed up staff time for more strategic support.
- Stronger employer partnerships:
By allowing employers to manage job postings directly, Queen’s has increased employer satisfaction and encouraged greater collaboration.
- Flexible event management:
From virtual career fairs during the pandemic to in-person events, the system’s adaptability has kept Queen’s career services resilient and forward-looking.
“Because we've been able to get more data, because we've been able to think more about our metrics, and because we've been able to deliver a better service... those have definitely been contributions into our rise in the rankings for graduate outcomes at Queens."
– Eimear Gallagher
Building a community of innovation and collaboration
Queen’s has fully integrated Symplicity CSM into its employability strategy, fostering long-term success:
- Expanding experiential learning: After a successful pilot with the Maths, Physics and Mechanical Engineering schools, Queen’s plans to roll out the experiential learning module across the entire university.
- Customising the student experience: The My Future portal continues to evolve, integrating with the Queen’s Online app to make career services even more accessible.
- Strengthening the CSM community: Queen’s actively engages with the global CSM user community, collaborating with other institutions to share best practices and innovative approaches.
- Future-focused strategies: With the ongoing integration of AI technologies, Queen’s is adapting to new employability challenges, ensuring that students remain competitive in the global job market.
"We have an incredible sense of community as CSM users across the globe. We see each other as collaborators rather than just users of the system. And that collective spirit is what makes our CSM community truly special "
– Stephanie Drain
Why Symplicity CSM?
By implementing Symplicity CSM, Queen’s University Belfast has transformed its employability strategy, boosting student engagement, improving employer connections, and delivering measurable impact. The platform’s flexibility and robust support have made it a cornerstone of Queen’s career services strategy.
"The partnership we have with Symplicity is genuinely impressive. They listen to our needs, act on feedback, and continuously innovate to support our evolving employability goals."
– Eimear Gallagher
Is your institution still burdened by manual processes? It's time to transform your career services. Explore the power of Symplicity CSM. Contact us to learn how we can help you make the change.
