Democratising employability: the live brief revolution

Falmouth University Senior Lecturer, Lucy Cokes, shares an updated practical seven-tier model to make student industry experience equitable, manageable and scalable.

Cokes, Lucy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2969-6041 (2026) Democratising employability: the live brief revolution. [Website Content]

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Abstract / Summary

This output addresses the equity crisis in higher education employability, where traditional extracurricular placements and unpaid internships systematically exclude non-traditional, working-class, and commuting students.

Investigating how real-world commercial experience can be equitably integrated into timetabled, assessed curricula, the study introduces an original pedagogical framework: an expanded 7-Tier Hierarchy of Live Briefs supported by a three-question binary decision diagnostic tool. Building iteratively on earlier models, this research conceptualises a crucial "missing tier" - unpaid, curriculum-embedded briefs with live client pitches. Providing a scalable benchmark that democratises client-facing practice across diverse academic disciplines without creating administrative bottlenecks.

The research employs a robust dual methodology, combining mixed-methods data collection with operational blueprinting that translates corporate governance into accessible academic toolkits, contracts, and IP templates. Data demonstrates that embedding these live briefs delivers boosts in professional confidence, proving its efficacy as a vehicle for social mobility while directly supporting institutional strategy and HEIF funding alignment. Disseminated nationally through Advance HE, the output offers a rigorous, significant blueprint for sector-wide curriculum reform and employability policy.

Item Type:	Website Content
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Live briefs, Experiential learning, Authentic assessment, Curriculum design, Inclusive pedagogy, Practice-based learning, Employer-led learning, Industry-embedded teaching, Higher education employability, Graduate outcomes, Social mobility in HE, Democratising employability, Student agency, Portfolio development, Equitable work experience, Hierarchy of Live Briefs, Live brief framework, Decision matrix, Intellectual Property in HE, Academic-industry governance, Scalable curriculum tools, Knowledge Exchange, Higher Education Innovation Fund, HEIF, University-industry collaboration, Academic leadership
Subjects:	Education Business > Experience Design Social Work & Social Policy
Department:	School of Communication
Depositing User:	Lucy Cokes
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2026 15:10
Last Modified:	15 Oct 2026 15:10
URI:	https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/id/eprint/6629

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