Education partnerships

Your institution may be seeking recruitment relationships in a particular market, exploring cooperation with another provider, reviewing an existing channel or considering a defined programme initiative.

The requirement may be commercial, academic or operational. Before proposing a route, we establish the purpose, the types of organisation involved and which decisions need to be made by the institution or another authorised body.

We work with universities, colleges, schools, vocational and language providers, recruitment organisations and specialist education service businesses. The suitability of an engagement depends on the work required and the availability of reliable information.

We help your team set out:

• The institutional objective and the learners or markets concerned.
• The activity you wish to develop and the contribution you can offer.
• The legal entity and people authorised to discuss the opportunity.
• The characteristics and capabilities required of a prospective partner.
• The resources, timing and internal approvals relevant to the work.
• Matters that are fixed and matters open to negotiation.

A clear brief gives prospective partners enough information to assess relevance, while keeping confidential or commercially sensitive detail within an appropriate discussion.

Use the partnership brief guide

Partnership discussions can stall when requests, decisions and responsibilities are left in separate email exchanges. We can help establish a common working record: matters discussed, information requested, responsible contacts, decision dates and the next agreed actions.

For a proposed programme or more substantial collaboration, coordination may extend to a responsibility schedule and an implementation plan. Academic approval, programme rights and legal commitments remain with the organisations entitled to make them.

Programme partnership support

We agree the outputs with your institution before work begins. Partnership engagements draw on the following records:

• An institutional partnership brief.
• Partner selection criteria and a record of sources reviewed.
• A discussion agenda and information-request schedule.
• Meeting records and an action tracker.
• A responsibility schedule for the proposed activity.
• A summary of unresolved matters and the decisions required to proceed.

Outputs are designed for use by the institution's decision-makers. A research note is identified as research; an unresolved question is not presented as a completed verification.

Appoint a contact who can coordinate internal information and identify the people authorised to approve the initiative. Provide accurate programme and operating information, disclose relevant restrictions and tell us when a material assumption changes.

The participating organisations negotiate and sign their agreements through their authorised representatives. Any recruitment targets, commercial terms, exclusivity, fees or payment arrangements require their own agreement. An IESG introduction does not determine these matters.