By Dr. Ramona Trestian
I recently had the exciting opportunity to present our research on “Enhancing Employability and Engagement in a Student-Centred Learning Environment: Insights from the MDX Internship Scheme” at EDUCON 2025 in London, a leading global conference dedicated to engineering education and innovation. This collaborative work with my colleagues Dr. Homeira Shayesteh, Jack Tims, and Dr. Purav Shah explores how Middlesex University is addressing three of higher education’s most pressing challenges: student employability, engagement, and financial accessibility.
Today’s graduates are expected to enter the workforce with more than just academic knowledge. Employers seek professionals who can solve real-world problems, collaborate effectively, and adapt quickly in fast-changing environments. But socio-economic barriers, lack of experience, and limited access to industry networks often leave students underprepared.
In an increasingly competitive job market, universities must go beyond traditional classroom instruction. Student-centred, employability-focused initiatives like the MDX Internship Scheme not only enhance graduate outcomes but also foster a more inclusive and applied learning environment. This approach is particularly crucial in engineering, where experiential learning, international research, and industry engagement are key to building future-ready professionals. Importantly, the internships also aligned with the MDX Graduate Competency Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the future-facing priorities of Industry 5.0 , that is preparing students to be both technologically agile and human-centric in their approach to innovation.
Presenting at EDUCON 2025 was an enriching experience, offering the chance to connect with fellow educators, researchers, and industry leaders who share a commitment to bridging the gap between academia and the real world.
This initiative, part of the UKIERI-SPARC project “DigIT—Digital Twins for Integrated Transportation Platform”, demonstrates what’s possible when academic institutions reimagine student engagement in practical, scalable, and inclusive ways.
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