Future Skills at Kingston University
Discover how we’re delivering a transformative model of education founded on our sector-leading Future Skills campaign.
We’re the UK’s leading university for Future Skills
Future Skills is preparing our students for career success, in a rapidly evolving world of work
If you’re one of our students, no matter which undergraduate course you study on, you’ll benefit from our transformative model of education designed to help you succeed in your future career. Informed by research with leading businesses, you will develop and be assessed on nine core skills identified and valued by employers. These Future Skills are essential life skills businesses have said they want graduates to have.
Whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you will benefit from our growing network of UK and international businesses, brands and organisations, who are partnering with Kingston University through Future Skills.
Discover what our students have to say about the impact Future Skills has had on their professional and personal lives.
Every student, every year, every course
Throughout your undergraduate degree at Kingston University, we’ll help you to develop nine graduate attributes: creative problem solving, digital competency, being enterprising, having a questioning mindset, adaptability, empathy, collaboration, resilience and self-awareness.
Future Skills is embedded throughout every year of every course, ensuring you acquire these graduate attributes alongside your subject-specific learning.
In your first year, you’ll be part of Navigate, supporting your transition to university. You’ll take part in workshops to help you better understand the skills you currently have, including your digital and AI skills. Throughout your degree you’ll be offered guidance and learning resources to progress them to the next level.
The following year, you’ll take part in Explore, working directly with employers to build your knowledge and skills through mock assessment centres, live projects, placements or site visits to businesses. In your final year, you’ll refine and tailor your learning as part of Apply, preparing you for the first step of your career.
Read our latest Future Skills report
Since 2021, we have been driving a major skills revolution in higher education.
Our pioneering research has identified the skills employers most value
Our sector-leading Future Skills campaign is supported by major businesses such as Mastercard, Unilever and J.P. Morgan. It highlights the vital role these skills will play in driving innovation and ensuring a thriving national and international economy.
In our latest campaign report, we surveyed more than 2,000 business leaders, 1,000 students and 2,000 members of the public, to find out what skills they most value.
This research has informed the nine graduate attributes our students are developing through our Future Skills programme, which has been rolled out across all our undergraduate courses, following extensive research, testing and piloting.
Contributions to our Future Skills research
More than 2,000 business leaders
More than 1,000 students
More than 2,000 members of the public
What our students and graduates say about Future Skills
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Priyanshi Goyal, Accounting and finance student
“Future Skills gives students a practical knowledge of skills, such as creative thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration, which we need to develop both at university and outside our studies.”
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Naveen Shah, Mechanical engineering student
“What I find especially inspiring about Future Skills is its practical orientation. It doesn’t just identify the necessary skills, it gives actionable steps and resources to cultivate them. It guided me in crafting a well-structured career plan.”
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Francesca Williams, Music technology student
“Navigate has helped me with my career, particularly because it has enabled me to work on my graduate attributes through self-reflection. I now have a part-time job in the music industry, which is benefitting my studies as well as giving me vital hands-on experience.”
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Daunté Redway, Mechanical engineering student
“Through Future Skills, I’ve been able to explore the evolving skills needed for career success. I’ve become much more aware of the importance of adaptability, critical thinking and digital literacy.”
Driving the political debate
Our Future Skills campaign has been helping to shape the skills agenda in UK political circles.
We have launched our Future Skills reports in the Houses of Parliament, which have been attended by MPs from across the political spectrum – highlighting cross-party support for our Future Skills programme.
In a landmark moment for our campaign, a Westminster Hall debate was held in 2025 by leader of the Liberal Democrats and Kingston and Surbiton MP Sir Ed Davey, who championed Kingston University’s unique Future Skills programme.
Sir Ed requested government support for future skills programmes to be rolled out across universities. He said it would revolutionise higher education and boost skills across the UK economy, calling it an engine of real growth which could enhance the quality of life for millions.
Our Vice-Chancellor on preparing students for career success
"It is no longer simply enough for universities to offer narrow, subject-based knowledge to students. Instead, we need to equip our graduates with the skills to navigate a world that will be constantly disrupted.
The students we are educating now will go on to navigate portfolio careers and do jobs that don't yet exist, in sectors we can barely imagine and using tools unheard of in the current business environment."
— Professor Steven Spier, Vice-Chancellor, Kingston University
What businesses say about Future Skills
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John Vary, Partner and Futurologist, John Lewis Partnership
"Teaching Future Skills is not just about employability, it's about enabling young people to navigate an increasingly complex world. Skills such as problem-solving and digital literacy don't just open career paths – they are foundational to personal development and instrumental for the innovation and adaptability required for business success."
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Elizabeth Barr, Head of the Cisco Networking Academy and Ireland
"Industry-aligned skills are paramount for graduates embarking on their careers. With a 68 per cent increase in jobs at the top 100 start-ups and high-growth companies since the pandemic, technical skills are becoming increasingly important. Making sure graduates possess the in-demand skills employers are looking for ensures they can stand out from the crowd."
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Anthony York, Group People Director, IP Group
"As we prepare for a future where AI will be more prevalent in the workplace, fostering the capability to pose insightful questions becomes paramount. This skill not only complements the capabilities of AI, but also ensures graduates contribute meaningfully by driving innovation, problem-solving and strategic thinking. Embedding these Future Skills and competencies at an early stage is key."
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John Godden, Salutem Healthcare
"We believe it's essential that every organisation equips their staff for the future, to make sure employees feel prepared, empowered and supported along their career journey. We welcome what Kingston University is aiming to achieve through its Future Skills campaign and are proud to collaborate with the University on a range of projects."
Future Skills in the news
Get involved
Want to know more about Future Skills? Contact us via email for further information.
You can even join the conversation on social media with the hashtags #FutureSkills and #TownHouseStrategy.
