Think Tank - The UK’s First Freelance Education Framework.
We’ve just taken a major step toward reshaping how UK universities prepare students for the future of work.
Last month, the Freelancer Club brought together senior leaders from universities across the UK, from Glasgow to Cardiff, Bristol to Birmingham, to co-design the country’s first Freelance Education Framework.
In partnership with CHEAD, Enterprise Educators UK and NAHEMI, this founding Think Tank gathered strategists, department heads and sector bodies to build a shared national approach to freelance education at a time when Gen Z, industry and the wider economy are moving rapidly toward solopreneurship and flexible work.
The session featured an opening address by Matt Dowling, Founder of Freelancer club, an inspiring keynote from Emma Jones, the Small Business Commissioner, and a powerful fireside chat with Chamitha Bandara, sharing his journey from student to graduate freelancer and reminding us why this work matters.
Together, we laid the groundwork for a framework that will:
● Establish shared language and standards across the sector
● Embed freelance skills and mindset into curriculum, careers and enterprise
● Address training gaps and institutional barriers
● Champion equity of access for underrepresented students
A huge thank you to all co-authors, contributors and our Advisory Board - Sandra Booth FRSA, Mhairi Threlfall, Prof Lucy Brown and Professor Catherine Dormor - for shaping a national response to a fast-changing labour market.
Over the coming months, we’ll translate these ideas into a sector-wide framework that universities can adopt to support creativity, social mobility and the next generation of solopreneurs.
This is a pivotal moment for freelancing in UK higher education, and we’re just getting started.
#FreelanceEducationFramework #FEF
