Real-world learning: How Nottingham Business School is transforming education with Riipen.

At Nottingham Business School (NBS), one of the core goals is to offer students real-world, work-like experiences that help them bridge the gap between their academic studies and professional careers. Supporting this initiative is Angela Scott, Experiential Learning Manager at NBS, who has collaborated with the academic team at NBS to source appropriate challenges for the students that sharpen their business skills and enhance their employability. 

Through her support, NBS has implemented various experiential learning opportunities in areas like International Business, Marketing expansion, Financial strategy, and FinTech innovations.

By collaborating with Riipen, NBS has scaled this vision, allowing students to tackle real business challenges while helping businesses solve strategic issues. Angela shares how Riipen’s flexible platform helped NBS overcome challenges in connecting with businesses, created mutually beneficial opportunities, and most importantly, empowered students to develop the professional skills they need for success.

“Riipen has significantly expanded our access to work-integrated learning opportunities, particularly in markets and sectors that are typically harder to reach. The platform’s extensive marketplace of project-ready businesses, many of which present real-world challenges aligned with niche or emerging academic disciplines, has been especially valuable in supporting our more specialised degree programmes.”

— Angela Scott, Experiential Learning Manager

What are Nottingham Business School’s (NBS) key goals for providing work-integrated learning opportunities for students?

“Our School’s ambition is to give all its students some kind of authentic work-like experience during their studies, and to allow them a chance to test their subject know-how and professional skills on a real-world business challenge. The School supports students through the experience and guides them through reflections afterwards.” 

What challenges did NBS face before using Riipen, and how did the platform help address them?

“The scale of our ambition meant we needed to find a range of ways to meet and talk with businesses that had suitable challenges for our students to work on.”

Discuss your completed experience on the Riipen platform. 

“Riipen has given us a flexible and realistic way to meet with and agree on projects for our students. In particular, I valued that those we met via the Riipen platform were already primed to accept and appreciate the value that students offered, and were ready to give feedback and engage in the academic process.” 

What project(s) did NBS pursue on the Riipen platform?

“Mostly international business, marketing expansion, financial strategy, and FinTech innovations. [These projects] supported the business development teams secure enough projects to meet demand.”

How was your experience working with employers?

“Bar a few exceptions, very positive. Overall, it was equal to our experience of working with employers off-platform.”

Would you like to share how other schools can benefit from the Riipen experience?

“Riipen is a very supportive and flexible platform, which allows users complete control over the module design and delivery. It has introduced us to dozens of highly engaged and very interesting small organisations.”