The End-to-End Model: Impact Consulting’s Strategic Approach to Work-Based Learning
The article examines Impact Consulting's end-to-end model for work-based learning, exploring how higher education institutions can create structured, meaningful industry engagement programs amid enrollment pressures, shifting student expectations, and an AI-driven labor market. It draws on UK higher education research to highlight how hands-on industry experience increasingly influences student enrollment decisions and employability outcomes.
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Key takeaways
Work-based learning is becoming a leading factor in student enrollment decisions and graduate employability outcomes.
Impact Consulting's end-to-end model offers a structured strategic approach to designing and delivering work-based learning at scale.
AI and automation are reshaping the labor market, increasing urgency for colleges and universities to embed meaningful industry engagement into curricula.
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As colleges and universities grapple with enrollment pressures, shifting student expectations, and a tightening labor market shaped by AI and automation, the demand for meaningful work-based learning experiences has grown dramatically. Research across the UK’s higher education sector shows that hands-on industry engagement is becoming a leading factor in student decision-making and employability outcomes. Institutions that can guarantee real-world experience as part of their degree are gaining a measurable competitive edge.
What does it take for universities—not just a select few, but entire institutions—to implement experiential learning at scale? And how can they do it in a way that meaningfully impacts recruitment, retention, and post-graduation employment?
On this episode of signals in higher ed, host Darin Francis sits down with Jack Casey, co-founder & CEO of Impact Consulting, to explore how his company built a comprehensive “end-to-end” model for delivering work-based learning. Together, they discuss the evolution of experiential learning in the UK, emerging implications for the U.S. market, and what institutional leaders must get right as they design their own strategies.
Key highlights from the conversation…
- Work-based learning is now a strategic imperative: Universities increasingly rely on structured industry experiences to differentiate programs, enhance employability, and drive student engagement.
- The Impact Consulting model is built for scale: By sourcing, managing, and delivering company projects, dissertation partnerships, placements, and internships, the firm acts as a strategic partner that reduces the operational burden on institutions.
- Curriculum integration is the long-term goal: While extracurricular experiences can accelerate early adoption, sustainable access and equity require embedding work-based learning directly into academic programs.
Jack Casey is the co-founder & CEO of Impact Consulting, where he partners with universities to implement large-scale work-based learning programs, drawing on experience delivering projects for 45+ institutions and thousands of students worldwide. He previously built a strong foundation in management consulting across strategy, technology, transformation, and change management roles in both the public and private sectors. Casey holds an MSc in International Management (CEMS) from the University of Sydney and has earned recognition as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.
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About the author
With 20 years of experience at the intersection of higher education and edtech, Darin Francis brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for driving meaningful change in the sector. Having led teams, crafted go-to-market (GTM) strategies, and worked closely with institutions, Darin is uniquely positioned to help edtech companies navigate the complexities of U.S. and Canadian higher education. Darin Francis, based in Detroit, MI, US, is currently a Managing Partner and CEO at Harbinger Lane Consulting.
