Case studies
Transforming Education, One Partnership at a Time
At Skilled Education, our success is reflected in the impact we create for universities, institutions, and learners. Here are some examples of how our bespoke, white-labeled solutions have delivered exceptional results.
Explore our case studies
Case Study - University of Hertfordshire
"Skilled Education is a partner who actually deeply understands the pedagogy behind distance learning and who will help us develop that, to ensure that students are effectively engaged with their programmes. That's the really exciting part, delivering that level of quality at scale.”
- Professor Quintin McKellar CBE, Vice-Chancellor
Challenge
The University of Hertfordshire sought to expand its online postgraduate offerings by launching a suite of high-quality, engaging degrees across multiple Schools. The goal was to establish a comprehensive online portfolio that met rigorous academic standards while reaching a global audience.
Solution
Skilled established a 10-year full OPM partnership with the University to design, develop, and deliver over 25 online postgraduate degrees. This end-to-end collaboration included market research to determine programme viability, curriculum development with industry partnerships, and tailored learning design supported by technologists and media producers. Skilled also led marketing, recruitment, and student success efforts, ensuring alignment with University policies and delivering exceptional learner experiences.
Results
The partnership has significantly expanded the University’s online presence, with thousands of learners enrolled across the programmes. Skilled’s market research, pedagogy-driven design, and operational expertise have supported the University in achieving its vision for quality online education at scale.
Case Study - University of Cambridge
"We knew that we needed a partner that was expert in online higher education, highly-responsive to our requirements and understood the distinctiveness of the University of Cambridge. Skilled gave us all of this. Their team, attention to detail and expertise were exactly what we needed as we developed our strategy in online learning.”
- Mandy Hill - Managing Director, Cambridge University Press and Assessment
Challenge
The University of Cambridge sought to enter the online short course market but required comprehensive market research to identify opportunities and develop a strategy aligned with their global reputation.
Solution
Skilled conducted in-depth market research and analysis, providing actionable insights into audience demand, competitive positioning, and potential course topics. Building on these findings, Skilled developed a strategic roadmap that guided Cambridge in establishing their online short course platform, Cambridge Advance Online, ensuring it reflected the institution’s academic excellence and global standing.
Results
Cambridge Advance Online was successfully launched, enabling the University to expand into the online short course market with a clear strategy and courses tailored to their unique strengths and global audience.
Case Study - Oxford Saïd Business School
“We are pleased to be partnered with Skilled Education as we scale our online courses over the next few years. Skilled’s expertise aligns directly with our pedagogic principles and global reach. It is an excellent collaboration, and we look forward to seeing it supporting more learners over the years ahead.”
- Professor Soumitra Dutta, Dean, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Challenge
Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford needed support in designing and delivering cutting-edge online courses for executive and professional learners, ensuring alignment with their global reputation for academic excellence.
Solution
Skilled collaborated closely with Saïd’s internal team to design and develop impactful online learning experiences. The partnership focused on innovative pedagogical approaches tailored to the needs of executive learners, ensuring the courses were both engaging and aligned with Saïd’s rigorous standards.
Results
The collaboration resulted in a suite of innovative courses that resonated strongly with executive learners, reinforcing Saïd’s position as a leader in business education.
Case Study - Honoris United Universities
“I have worked in education and specifically online education for over two decades. I have served as CEO of some of the largest online higher education institutions in the world and I am constantly bowled over by the brilliance of Skilled Education. They have the best people, best learning design, best student support and best processes. They have done a brilliant job so far for us at Honoris and I hope they keep doing bigger and better things for the global education community.”
- Luis Lopez, Chairman, Honoris United Universities
Challenge
Honoris Universities, the largest university network in EMEA, sought to educate and inspire its 10,000+ academic and professional staff about the potential of online education. With a relatively sceptical audience, they required an engaging, innovative course to showcase cutting-edge pedagogy and tools while addressing the group’s high professional and academic expectations.
Solution
Skilled fully designed, developed, and delivered the Reimagining Education course, a multimedia-rich programme showcasing advances in online pedagogy. Each unit brought learning technologies to life by incorporating tools like AI, VR, gamification, and digital badging. Skilled engaged world-leading experts to ensure the course demonstrated the opportunities of online education while embodying them through immersive experiences and bespoke media.
Results
The course achieved exceptional feedback, with over 93% of participants rating it as “very informative” and “inspiring about the application of digital technologies.” Its success led to an expanded partnership with Honoris, where Skilled now develops MBAs and short courses tailored to the needs of their institutions.
Case Study - NHS Upskilling
"They have really taken the time to listen to our requirements, asked brilliant questions, met with wider stakeholders internally and externally and refined and improved the course map and experience continuously to deliver something so impressive. They have incorporated some breathtaking tech but done so meaningfully to keep our teams engaged, develop their knowledge and give us actionable insights and analytics. We hope to continue to develop the partnership over the years to come.”
- Ming Tang, chief data and analytics officer at NHS
Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a critical need to upskill NHS analysts with advanced data and digital capabilities to manage increasing demands and deliver actionable insights.
Solution
Skilled developed an immersive online course featuring project-based learning, scenario-driven approaches, and healthcare-specific data analysis. The course incorporated high-quality video, animations, interactive simulations, and 3D elements, all designed in collaboration with NHS stakeholders.
Results
Participants gained confidence and practical skills in data analysis, client management, and stakeholder engagement, enabling them to leverage analytics for better healthcare outcomes.
Case Study - Help to Grow: Management
“I am delighted that Skilled Education are leading the design, development and management of a superlative online experience for all Help To Grow participants, mentors and alumni. Their team have already done brilliant work to get the online platform and a high-quality learning experience in place. Our teams across Government are enjoying the partnership to ensure an exceptional experience for all involved.”
- Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, then Chancellor of the Exchequer
Challenge
The UK Government needed to rapidly launch a national programme to equip hundreds of thousands of business leaders with essential digital and leadership skills as part of the post-COVID ‘Build Back Better’ initiative. The tight timeline required a technology partner capable of meeting government, academic, and business school demands.
Solution
Skilled was appointed to design, develop, and manage the programme’s learning platform, integrating with over 70 university business schools and central government stakeholders. Within four weeks, Skilled had run the procurement for a new platform, implemented the platform, delivered end-user training, and launched the programme with a robust, interactive course incorporating gamification, quizzes, and badging to enhance engagement.
Results
Help to Grow: Management successfully launched on schedule, achieving 94% learner satisfaction in its first year. Its success led to Skilled being appointed to lead the even larger Help to Grow Digital initiative, supporting over 180,000 business leaders. Today, Help to Grow continues to grow with the backing of the new government.