This blog has kindly been provided by Matt Dowling, CEO of the Freelancers Club.
If 2024 was the year universities started to take freelancing seriously, then 2025 is the year to act on it.
From curriculum reform and enterprise strategies to employability frameworks and careers services, Higher Education is entering a period of significant change - and freelancing is finally on the agenda.
This past academic year marked a turning point. Our Taking Freelancing Seriously event, delivered in partnership with the University of Westminster and supported by EEUK, brought together over 120 enterprise and employability leaders from across the UK. It wasn’t just another panel discussion - it was a milestone. A national signal that the freelance economy deserves a permanent seat at the table.
Since then, momentum has only grown. The UK government has announced it will appoint a Freelance Champion - a first-of-its-kind move to represent the self-employed in policymaking. Later this year, we’ll convene a Freelance Think Tank with a select group of forward-thinking universities to co-design a national framework for freelance support in HE.
So, what does that mean for your institution?
It means now is the time to get ahead of the curve. The institutions who lead will shape this movement. Those who follow will scramble to catch up.
Here’s how to lay the groundwork now:
● Audit your language: What messages are you sending about self-employment? Scan your websites, careers platforms, prospectuses, and social media. Are freelancers positioned as legitimate professionals - or as a ‘plan B’?
● Start conversations internally: Bring freelance support into conversations with curriculum leads, enterprise teams, and employability heads. Which courses are already producing freelancers? Where are the gaps in support? Are students running
side-hustles that could be the springboard to entrepreneurial ventures of the future?
● Map your current provision: Who in your institution already offers relevant advice, courses, or modules? Where can freelance-specific guidance be embedded or expanded?
● Connect with your freelance alumni: They’re proof of concept, and their stories can help shift perceptions. Feature them in case studies, events, or guest lectures.
● Engage student interest: Many are already freelancing, side hustling, or exploring portfolio careers. Involve them in shaping what freelance support should look like on your campus.
A rallying call to every university leader, educator, and careers professional: the self-employed economy is not a trend - it’s a transformation. It’s time to stop treating freelancing as an afterthought and start embedding it into the foundations of graduate success.
The future of work is already here. Let’s make sure our institutions are ready for it.
Freelancer Club works with universities to embed freelance skills, coaching, and policy into Higher Education. If your institution is ready to take the lead, we’d love to hear from you.
