Work Sprints · Onsite / Online / Hybrid / Nano

Work-based learning that scales with your vision

Traditional work-based learning is built on scarcity and exclusion. Work Sprints are the alternative: a flexible ecosystem of real client consultancy projects that scales from a single cohort to a campus-wide culture of career readiness.

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Why Work Sprints exist

Beyond the limits of the internship

For decades, meaningful work experience has been limited to the few who can secure — and afford — a traditional internship. That's a bottleneck for institutions and an equity gap for students.

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The internship lottery

Sourcing, managing and scaling placements is a logistical burden that stops educators embedding real-world experience across the curriculum — and leaves most students without it.

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An ecosystem, not a single pathway

Work Sprints are a modular toolkit. We co-design a spectrum of work-based learning experiences around your pedagogical goals — authentic, employer-driven projects for every student, at any scale.

Inside every Sprint

One methodology, every format

Every Sprint runs on the same mentored agile cycle, so quality is consistent whether you run one Nano Sprint or a campus-wide programme.

PHASE 01 // DISCOVER

Meet the brief

Teams meet the client, interrogate the Live Case Brief and scope the real problem behind the stated one.

PHASE 02 // DEVELOP

Build the answer

Research, prototyping and iteration in agile cycles, with mentor check-ins and client touchpoints throughout.

PHASE 03 // DELIVER

Present to the client

Teams pitch recommendations directly to the client's decision-makers — work that gets used, not filed.

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Sprint Gates

Structured assessment checkpoints with client feedback, mapped to your learning outcomes and credit requirements.

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Verified Portfolio

Every student finishes with documented, client-validated work output — proof of capability a CV line can't provide.

Format 01 // Onsite

Onsite Sprints

Work-based learning at its most authentic: student consultancy teams working face-to-face with local businesses in Europe's working cities — testing theoretical knowledge, building cultural understanding and developing client-facing skills in an international professional environment.

WORK, LEARN & LIVE ABROAD

Immersion that compresses growth

Employers want global professionals who thrive in diverse environments. Onsite Sprints in Barcelona, Rome, Lisbon and Exeter pair project-based client work with deep cultural understanding — plus individual professional development support for every learner, in-country accommodation guidance and 24-hour local support to remove travel concerns.

Students consulting for a local client during an onsite Work Sprint

HOW LONG?

Built around your curriculum — from one week to one month, depending on your requirements.

WHO ARE THE CLIENTS?

Local SMEs in your onsite city, sourced by the Nexgen team to match your subject and course focus.

WHERE?

Barcelona, Rome, Lisbon and Exeter — with new destinations added through our partner network.

Format 02 // Online

Online Sprints

International work experience accessible to every student, from the comfort of your campus. Teams consult for international SMEs on live briefs, learning to navigate cultural nuances and the digital collaboration tools of the distributed workplace.

Student team collaborating with an international client online
WORKING ACROSS BORDERS FROM CAMPUS

Real projects, real clients, no travel barrier

Our projects are not simulations. Clients want solutions and innovations to drive their businesses forward, and learners are treated as professional consultants by the Nexgen team and their clients throughout. Sprints run from two days to three months, co-created with your faculty around specific subject and course focus.

COIL-ALIGNED BY DESIGN

Collaborative Online International Learning

Fewer than one in ten US undergraduates ever study abroad. COIL — pioneered at SUNY in 2006 — brings international learning to everyone else, and research shows well-designed COIL programmes significantly develop intercultural competence and digital collaboration skills. Online Work Sprints operationalize the COIL principles that internationalization offices look for:

  • handshakeCo-designed with your faculty and embedded in credit-bearing courses — not a bolt-on
  • groupsStructured intercultural collaboration in international student-client teams
  • assignment_turned_inShared deliverables with real stakes — recommendations presented to a live client
  • psychologyGuided reflection through the EX3 framework, turning experience into career habits

HOW LONG?

From two days to three months, built around your curriculum and project focus.

WHO ARE THE CLIENTS?

International SMEs sourced to your requirements — chosen so learners work across cultural nuances and norms.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Universities and colleges that want international work experience accessible to all students, at any cohort size.

Format 03 // Hybrid

Hybrid Sprints

For institutes that want to fully commit: multiple Work Sprints across the academic year, blending online sprints in relevant modules with an onsite sprint in one of our European hub cities.

THE FULL ARC

Online modules, onsite finale

Plug online sprints into key curriculum topics, then finish with an onsite sprint in Barcelona, Exeter, Lisbon or Rome. Partners have run the onsite element as a JTerm, Maymester or summer capstone. Learners get multiple professional experiences plus year-round EX3 career training — the deepest version of the model.

Hybrid Work Sprint combining online and onsite experiences

HOW LONG?

Runs in parallel with your academic course across the full year.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Universities and colleges committing to international work-based learning as a core part of their curriculum.

FORMATS USED BY PARTNERS

Semester-embedded online sprints closing with a JTerm, Maymester or summer capstone onsite.

Format 04 // Nano

Nano Sprints

When time is short but students demand real work experience: Nano-Work from just 16 hours, built to combine with traditional study abroad programmes. From the classroom, built for the boardroom.

Student team on a Nano Work Sprint
THE STUDY ABROAD ELECTIVE

Bite-sized, stackable, local

Learners take a work-based module as a study abroad elective, consulting in teams for local clients they meet in person. Sprints are a minimum of 16 hours and stackable to fit your programme. Currently offered with study abroad providers in Barcelona, Dublin, Exeter, Lisbon and Rome — other locations by co-creation.

HOW LONG?

Minimum 16 hours per sprint; stack multiple sprints to fit your learners' schedules.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Study abroad providers who want work-based learning as an option alongside traditional classes.

WHO ARE THE CLIENTS?

SMEs based in the study abroad location, so learners meet their clients face-to-face.

Where the briefs come from

Future-proof industries

Clients are sourced to match your course focus, across sectors including: social impact, business innovation, esports and gaming, technology, creative industries, cybersecurity and sports.

Engaging in a virtual work experience was transformative for my students, blending theory with real-world application. Witnessing their growth, collaboration, and problem-solving in a digital landscape showcased the immense potential of remote learning.

CHRIS HOLMES // WIGAN COLLEGE
Next step

Find the format that fits your course

Pricing depends on class size, project duration and support required. Book a 30-minute call and we'll map a Sprint to your curriculum — and give you a free quote.

Book a meeting or write to us: hello@nexgencareers.co