brief cases: packaging, design and technology

Undergraduate is the longest running Brief Cases level. At undergraduate level, Brief Cases is a semester long taught programme that works with industry partners and reaches up to 1,000 students each year across the UK.

Topics covered are not typically taught in UK universities; yet, through Brief Cases and working with client partners, we encourage students to become problem solvers with a focus on innovation, creativity and sustainability.

Case study: Holmen Group

For example, over a number of years Holmen Iggesund has cooperated with us across several universities in the UK with the aim of enabling design students to get a taste of the reality they will encounter when they enter working life. Together with Brief Cases, Holmen Iggesund has produced briefs on topical subjects in the graphics and packaging sectors, which the universities have then integrated into their programmes.

The subjects have varied from “What will tomorrow’s packaging look like?” to “How can we exploit the advantages of digital printing in small-scale packaging production?” but have also included how to produce infographics on sustainability issues or how to describe the company’s Grow Your Income programme to encourage farmers in northern England to start growing energy crops.

Sustainable Development

Brief Cases is an awards scheme for university students working on real-world briefs from prestigious employers and client businesses. As the world’s population grows and markets are internationalised, greater demands are put on the Earth’s natural resources.

Business has a role to play in creating solutions and new ways of working – sustainable procurement, production processes and responsible design methods will be a key component in creating appropriate solutions for the future.

Brief Cases university projects are identified to address skills gaps, business needs and areas where wider sustainability issues are emerging - every Brief Cases project is underpinned by the message of sustainability.

Brief cases: masters LEVEL PATHWAY

Brief Cases has become an embedded pathway within the Post Graduate ‘MA Global Governance and Sustainable Development’ as well as the ‘MSc Sustainability and Environmental Management’ course in association with one of the scheme’s university partners, Middlesex University.

“Brief Cases at Middlesex has been part of the MA Global Governance and Sustainable Development for over five years. It has provided a direct link to industry and helped our students develop hugely valuable sustainability and business skills and supported creative expression and innovative mindsets. Brief Cases is providing students with a unique insight into how sustainability, both environmental and social, can be furthered in the business sector and how the UN Sustainable Development Goals can inform business strategy. Students relish this opportunity to think creatively outside the academic remit while also applying the critical understanding of sustainable development issues and solutions that they have so far gained in their degree.”  

- Dr. Meri Juntti

Former Brief Cases at Middlesex student says:

“ I had the privilege of being part of Brief Cases back in 2019. It was a great foundation for my current professional focus. Forever grateful for your support Meri Juntti and Veronica Heaven FRSA.”

- Nailene Martinez, Airbus

SG+YOU (High school level)

The award-winning schools programme piloted at selected schools was developed by The Heaven Company in partnership with Stephen George + Partners, architects and master planners. The 10-week Architecture and Sustainability course is delivered in the classroom as a taught programme within the school time-table and is designed to encourage school aged children to explore the built environment and to learn about sustainability.

The structured approach that the programme provides can be mapped to the Careers Strategy guidance and Gatsby benchmarks and includes:

• Lesson plans with defined outcomes that link to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects) and the Arts - linking curriculum learning to careers

• Workbooks are provided to each student to record their work and capture real-life learning experiences derived from classes held with industry contacts

• Certificates are awarded to students to recognise achievement and the successful completion of the course at a special celebration event

• Brief Cases university connections provide opportunities for schools to engage with Higher Education.

“We want to bring STEM learning in a big way and Brief Cases is a good example of it. Science, engineering, technology …insights and team work - it’s the cross curricular aspects of the projects that I like,” says Rakesh Patel, Head of Design and Technology Department at St Mary’s and St John’s CE School in Barnet, London. “Children are still ingrained in separate topics: English, maths,… so the whole idea of STEM learning and being able to bring it across into the project is showing them that cross curricular is the way to think. It’s that application and the ability to apply learning that comes across in the Architecture and Sustainability project with Stephen George + Partners and Brief Cases.”