News

Supporting employability and skills with new software and content licences

In response to government calls for reforms to skills development, we are launching a new suite of licensed software and content solutions for higher and further education.

Thanks to a series of negotiated agreements with multiple vendors, members can now access a wide range of software and digital content, designed to help learners develop the skills needed for the future workforce, at affordable rates.

The resources available span a number of industries including sciences, construction and architecture, medicine and nursing, and business and finance. That’s in addition to tools dedicated to learners developing employability and digital skills such as Bodyswaps, VirtualSpeech, and BSD Digital Skills.

In November 2024, the government’s white paper ‘get Britain working’, outlined priorities for work and employment. On skills development, the paper called for better use of data, an overhaul of careers provision, and a youth guarantee so that every young person aged 18 to 21 has access to further learning, help to get a job or an apprenticeship.

Jisc head of learning, teaching and assessment Jonathan Hofgartner says:

“Technological change is driving a fundamental shift in the future of work and reshaping skills demands, amplifying the importance of lifelong learning.

In the last few years alone, we have seen how AI is reshaping how we learn, work and live. As the UK navigates this global digital transformation, the next frontier of employability is not just about teaching transferable skills, but how FE and HE leverage technology to extend learning beyond the campus.

The employability and skills imperative is immediate, and this new suite of agreements is specifically designed to support members in addressing it.”

If you are attending Digifest 2025, 11-12 March, you will be able to get practical insights into the tools currently available from all of Jisc’s growing catalogue of software and content licensing – expect in-person vendor presentations, interactive demonstrations, case studies and studio stage sessions.

Visit the Jisc hub at Digifest, Birmingham, 11 - 12 March to see some of these technologies in action or speak to your relationship manager about how to take advantage of the agreements available.

Employability and skills software and content agreements

Business, finance, market intelligence:

Construction and architecture:

Medicine, nursing, and Allied Health:

Sciences:

Multidisciplinary:

Employability and digital skills: