Talent Development
Leading the way with Future Skills
Kingston University
Industry
Higher Education
Function
Employability & Skills Development
Kingston University London is at the forefront of a major skills revolution in higher education, championing the importance of Future Skills in preparing students for a rapidly changing workplace.
As the UK’s leading University for Future Skills, it remains the only UK university currently embedding the development of these human-centric skills across the entire undergraduate curriculum – at every level, for every student. But to truly support students on their journey, the University needed a data-driven, scalable, yet personalised approach to identify individual strengths and tailor its learning support effectively.
Opportunity
A smarter approach to skills development
Through its sector-leading Future Skills campaign, launched in 2021, the University has been researching the skills most valued by employers and embedding these insights into its curriculum.
The Future Skills programme runs across three phases – Navigate at Level 4, Explore at Level 5 and, from September 2025, Apply at Level 6. Students develop and are assessed on their acquisition of Future Skills within a module on their course at each stage, with opportunities to engage directly with industry.
But to truly support students on their journey, the University needed a data-driven, scalable, yet personalised approach to identify individual strengths and tailor its learning support effectively – improving career confidence and ultimately enhancing graduate outcomes.
Solution
Personalised skills discovery
To meet this need, the University partnered with Cappfinity to pilot the Skills Discovery platform – a digital self-assessment platform that had previously been used exclusively in industry settings.
The Skills Discovery platform includes a personalised, 30-minute questionnaire that enhances self-awareness by identifying key strengths, learned behaviours, and weaknesses. Upon completion, each student receives a bespoke profile outlining their unique skillset and development tips on how they can upskill themselves.
Beyond individual insights, the platform allows the University to segment and analyse student skills data across demographics, year groups, and courses – providing a rich evidence base to inform curriculum development and employer engagement strategies.
Nine graduate attributes mapped to the Future Skills framework:
Creative problem-solving
Digital competency
Enterprising mindset
Questioning mindset
Adaptability
Empathy
Collaboration
Resilience
Self-awareness
Data-driven insights and stronger graduate outcomes
For Kingston University, this pilot is serving as both a starting point for deeper student support and a catalyst for enhancing employability initiatives. The pilot phase has been rolled out to Level 6 students, with more than 100 participants to date.
Cappfinity mapped their 80 globally validated skills to these attributes, creating the Kingston University Future Skills Graduate Attributes Discovery Report. This ensured that students engaged with their results in a way that felt relevant and meaningful to their learning experience.
Tailored learning interventions
Helping students leverage their strengths
Employer engagement
Robust skills insights to better match students to opportunities
Future Skills programme
Ensuring students graduate with in-demand capabilities
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students engaged in the pilot phase
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core employability attributes mapped to the Future Skills framework
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personalised assessment providing instant individual and university-wide insights
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first-of-its-kind pilot, applying an industry tool to a university setting across all faculties
“From the moment I saw the Skills Discovery Tool, I knew it was exactly what we needed. We were already deeply committed to embedding employability into the student journey – but this tool gave us the data and insight to elevate that work to a new level. It empowers our students to better understand their strengths and development areas, preparing them to articulate their value with confidence in interviews and throughout the job search. It’s also enabled us to offer more tailored, impactful career coaching to support their growth as well-rounded, future-ready candidates. Beyond individual student benefit, the data is also helping us strengthen employer engagement. We can connect employers with cohorts who match their specific skills needs – supporting recruitment pipelines while improving our graduate outcomes. Cappfinity has been a true partner in this journey. Their team has been collaborative, responsive and incredibly supportive throughout – and we’re excited about what we can achieve together moving forward. We’ve been grounded in a shared vision from the very start – and they’ve been a joy to work with.”
Olivia Trodden, Associate Director of Careers & Employability at Kingston University
What’s Next?
Scaling to all final-year students
In September 2025, Kingston University will launch the Apply module to c.2,500 Level 6 students, placing the Skills Discovery platform at the centre of the experience.
Every final-year student will benefit from:
1
A personalised assessment of their strengths, development areas, and tailored support – all designed to boost confidence and readiness ahead of the graduate job market
2
Data insights to demonstrate the measurable impact of its Future Skills curriculum
3
Year-on-year development tracking to identify trends and drive continuous improvement across faculties
