Welcome to The Purpose Labs
Understanding the Next Generation Workforce, Consumers & Decision Makers in a rapidly changing AI economy
Purpose Labs brings together universities, the NHS, employers and public service leaders to better understand how expectations around work, wellbeing and opportunity are changing.
Through a network of more than 20 UK universities and colleges, Purpose Labs generates real-world insight from students, patients and communities to help organisations respond to the future of work, skills, health and justice.
The Latest from The Labs
For Employers
Understand the next generation before you try to recruit them.
Through Purpose Lab, employers work with paid student teams who act as insight consultants. Students research, test ideas, challenge assumptions and report back with evidence and lived experience.
Typical focus areas include:
Skills gaps and workforce readiness
Barriers to opportunity and progression
Perceptions of industries and employers
AI, automation, and the future of work
Social mobility and access routes
You receive structured insight, clear findings, and practical recommendations grounded in real student experience.
For
Students
Paid experience that actually means something.
Students working with Purpose Lab:
Are paid for their time
Work on real employer challenges
Build confidence, skills, and credibility
Gain experience they can talk about in interviews
Many students tell us this is the first time they feel listened to by employers.
Purpose Lab exists to close the gap between education and employment, not just talk about it.
How it works
For employers:
Employers define a real question or challenge
Purpose Lab Recruits and briefs a student team
Students research, discuss, and test ideas
Findings are presented back clearly and professionally.
Projects run over a defined period and are supported by our team throughout.
Purpose Lab partners with universities and colleges across the UK. For institutions, we offer:
Paid opportunities for students
Genuine employer engagement
Insight into labour market trends
A credible bridge between learning and work.
Our model supports employability, social mobility, and student confidence.
Meet the Team
Rachel - Head of Learning & Participation, Purpose Lab
Rachel is a qualified teacher with a deep commitment to helping young people realise their full potential.
Having taught in schools across the North East of England, she witnessed first-hand how a lack of meaningful work experience can limit the prospects of students from less privileged backgrounds — a challenge that now sits at the heart of her work with the Purpose Lab.
Alongside her career in education, Rachel has also worked on projects within the justice system with individuals whose lives have gone off track. This dual experience — in classrooms and communities — gives her a unique perspective on the barriers facing many young people today. At the Purpose Lab, Rachel leads her team on programme delivery, ensuring every student is supported, every partnership delivers real value, and every project helps close the opportunity gap.
Finlay - Client Director for Partnerships, Purpose Lab
Too many decisions about young people are made without them in the room. Purpose Lab exists to change that.
If you want better insight, stronger engagement, and decisions grounded in reality, let’s talk.
Finlay is our Client Director, and leads our partnership work with Universities, Colleges and Business partners. Finlay is committed to delivering maximum value across Purpose Lab for our partners. Finlay has a special interest in how businesses can build links with educational institutions to drive growth and opportunity.
