Gabi Binnie
Head of Funded Projects

I worked at Gradconsult from 2016 – 2019 and returned to the business as Head of Funded Projects in 2021 (just call me ‘boomerang’!). From 2019 to 2021 I was the Policy and Research Manager for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) and was responsible for managing large-scale careers and employability research projects and informing policy at an institutional and national level.

Research projects included a UKRI-funded longitudinal study into the employment experiences of graduates who entered the labour market during Covid-19 and ‘Supporting international graduate employability: Making good on the promise’, a project funded by UKCISA, UUKi and Coventry University.

I was also responsible for influencing policy on a number of AGCAS’s strategic themes, including international graduate employability, social mobility and regionalisation. This involved being the named AGCAS representative on cross-sector groups like the International Student Employability Group (ISEG), formulating the AGCAS response to consultations, researching and writing position statements and directly lobbying policy makers. These responses have been used by policy makers and in evidentiary sessions to inform policy decisions.

I’ve also written extensively for organisations in the sector, including Wonkhe, Hepi, UUK, the ISE and Prospects Luminate (see my foreword to the regional edition of What do graduates do? here).

I’ve been a trustee for SAIL, a charity that provides support for survivors of sexual abuse, since 2016 and often get involved with funding bids and reviewing our policies and procedures. Find out more about my background on LinkedIn. Find out more about my background on LinkedIn.

What do I do at Gradconsult?

As Head of Funded Projects, I lead the delivery of Gradconsult projects that involve funding bodies, such as ERDF, ESF, the Office for Students (OfS) and local authorities. We often act as a trusted delivery partner in long-term projects with multiple stakeholders, high targets and complex reporting and governance structures.

Examples of recent things I’ve been working on include:

• Strategic oversight of RISE

• Research and design of the LCR Grad Scheme development programme

• Working with partner universities to help them with regional retention strategies

• Creating innovative projects and seeking funding to establish them

Life loves

• Making up stupid nicknames for my dogs
• A lot of coffee. It's all about quantity, not quality
• F1. It's the combination of engineering, strategy and fearlessness – I love it
• Anything adventurous – skiing, climbing, cross country (the horse kind), rollercoasters…

Pet peeves                                        

• Mornings. Don't expect much sense from me until I've had at least three coffees
• Beige foods
• When technology doesn’t work – I don’t have the patience!
• The phrase 'learning by osmosis'

 

Get in touch

T: 0114 221 0242

M: 07826 304 497

E: gabi@gradconsult.co.uk

LinkedIn: Gabi Binnie