Ranked in the top 20 of the Sunday Times Good University Guide, the University of Aberdeen is one of the UK's leading research-intensive institutions renowned for fostering student success through comprehensive career services. With a dedicated team of 13 professionals led by Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers, the university's Careers and Employability Team supports roughly 14,000 students from 130 nationalities on their path to successful careers. The university decided to transform its career services platform for a fresh, all-in-one approach by implementing Symplicity CareerHub to enhance student engagement and streamline operations.
When asked about the motivations behind moving to Symplicity, Tracey emphasised the need for a solution that was both robust and user-friendly. “We were looking for all the user experiences that you might hope for from a solution — user-friendly, intuitive, straightforward to use but also with a lot of functionality,” she shared. The university sought a solution capable of managing their diverse career services needs, from advertising vacancies and employer connections to delivering essential student services such as appointments, workshops, and career fairs.
Additionally, the ability to support online interactions, such as answering student questions and facilitating skill development pathways, was also a critical factor in their decision. CareerHub stood out as a comprehensive solution capable of managing both the administrative and student-facing aspects of career services, as well as having the potential to grow with the university’s evolving needs. “The product is intuitive and straightforward to use in terms of its user experience,” remarked Tracey.
"We were looking for all the user experiences that you might hope for from a solution — user-friendly, intuitive, straightforward to use but also with a lot of functionality. CareerHub is intuitive and straightforward to use in terms of its user experience."
Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers, University of Aberdeen.
The decision to choose CareerHub was guided by a careful assessment of its features and capabilities. For the University of Aberdeen, the system’s ease of use and ability to integrate with existing university processes were critical. “One of the things that I really like about CareerHub is how easy it is for us to set up resources and use them to answer questions that come in online,” Tracey stated. CareerHub’s flexibility, Tracey also notes, will allow the team to build a library of FAQs and efficiently answer student inquiries via the “ask a question” module. This capability has offered the careers team an innovative way to manage frequently asked questions, reducing administrative load while maintaining a high level of student engagement.
Moreover, the university was particularly impressed by how CareerHub could enhance interactions between students and career advisors. “It seems really easy for us to just add notes and let students see the same thing,” Tracey remarked. This feature enables seamless communication, providing a personalised experience for students while simplifying the process for staff. These aspects of the system were essential in the decision-making process and ultimately led the university to select CareerHub.
“One of the things that I really like about CareerHub is how easy it is for us to set up resources and use them to answer questions that come in online.”
Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers, University of Aberdeen.
The University of Aberdeen faced a tight implementation timeline, with only two months to move from their existing system to CareerHub. Despite the ambitious schedule, the university’s experience with Symplicity’s support team exceeded expectations. “Implementation has been really fantastic for us as a university. We set out with a really tight timescale... and it’s been better than we expected,” Tracey noted. The collaboration between the university and Symplicity’s project team was key to the smooth transition, with regular meetings and support at every stage of the process. “It's been really great to be able to work with the team and get really good support to make sure that the system is set up to deliver as best as it can for what we're needing,” said Tracey.
Tracey has been particularly impressed by the personalised support she and her colleagues have received, noting that Symplicity’s team made them feel like the only client throughout the implementation process, despite the busy summer season. “It’s felt like we’ve been the only client they’ve had, which I’m sure we’re not. I think that’s probably the best we could have hoped for,” she shared. This high level of support has ensured that any challenges encountered by the university team were quickly resolved, leading to a successful system launch.
"Implementation has been really fantastic for us as a university. We set out with a really tight timescale... and it’s been better than we expected. It's been really great to be able to work with the team and get really good support to make sure that the system is set up to deliver as best as it can for what we're needing."
Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers, University of Aberdeen.
With the successful implementation of CareerHub, the University of Aberdeen is already looking ahead to phase two of its digital transformation. Phase one, which included going live with essential features like appointment scheduling, event management, and online student engagement, has set a solid foundation. “For phase two, we’re looking to build into the system processes to support applications for internships and mentoring programs,” explained Tracey.
The university is also excited about the potential of CareerHub to streamline manual processes and introduce more automated workflows. For example, their new triage service is designed to make student interactions more efficient, allowing staff to focus on delivering high-quality career advice. “We’ve been able to replicate things we already had a process for within CareerHub, and the triage service looks like it’s going to work really nicely,” Tracey added.
The University of Aberdeen’s transition to Symplicity with CareerHub has been marked by a smooth implementation, excellent support, and the ability to meet the diverse needs of their career services department. By choosing CareerHub, the university has not only enhanced its operational efficiency but also laid the groundwork for future growth and innovation in student engagement. As Tracey noted, “The product does what it says on the tin,” and this straightforward reliability has been key to the successful partnership.
Looking ahead, the University of Aberdeen is excited to continue leveraging CareerHub’s capabilities to support students, graduates, and employers, ensuring their career services remain at the cutting edge of the UK university market.
See how the University of Aberdeen enhanced student engagement and streamlined career services with Symplicity CareerHub.
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