About

University College London (UCL) is one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary universities, known for its excellence in research, teaching, and innovation. With over 50,000 students and a complex technology landscape, UCL partners with trusted suppliers to support its digital transformation and operational resilience across education, research, and administration.

 

The Challenge

UCL had developed a growing reliance over time on third-party suppliers and contingent labour to support key areas of the business, including the complex SITS (Student Information System) platform, a niche area with a limited talent pool and steep learning curve.

To drive strategic transformation, the university sought to reduce long-term cost pressures, modernise legacy systems, and scale its internal technical capability. This included building in-house teams with the skills to support digital innovation across multiple functions.
UCL required targeted support in specialist areas such as SITS development, alongside a broader strategy to strengthen engineering and software development teams, reducing dependence on short-term external resourcing.

“The public sector doesn’t necessarily have the most competitive salaries – bringing people in through the ranks with general skills that we can specialise when they arrive is something we have always struggled with going through traditional routes. La Fosse have proven time and time again that they can find the right people so we had a lot of confidence that they’d be able to help us with this. Managing costs is also always critical, UCL has a large student and staff base and managing the shape of organisation to ensure not it is too top heavy was very important to us.”
Alexis Nelson, Platform Owner – Information Services Division

 

The Solution

La Fosse Academy has supported UCL since 2021, deploying a bespoke, multi-cohort Academy model aligned with their technology stack, team culture, and long-term hiring strategy.
Associates were hired with a view to full-time roles, offering continuity and cost-efficiency compared to contracting. Associates have been embedded across core digital workstreams, including the development and enhancement of UCL’s SITS platform, internal tooling, student services, and broader software and engineering functions.

 

“Getting new permanent staff is very difficult for UCL because SITS is such a specialist skill. Having a bespoke training course with junior developers trained in the specific skills that UCL required is really important to us.”

Alexis Nelson, Platform Owner – Information Services Division

 

Other bespoke elements have included:

  • Delivering the first-of-its-kind SITS training through a sourced SME, delivering specialist upskilling to the first cohort.
  • Tailored engagement including customer open days, roundtables, and on-site meet-and-greets to improve alignment and retention.
  • Co-developed tailored training (e.g. a Business Analyst programme) to meet UCL’s unique needs.
  • Pre-selection of Associates through UCL-led open days and interviews, giving the client full visibility and control. We ensured cultural fit through group onboarding, enabling strong cohort.

“To make the programme bespoke, we had a number of workshops, worked with a number of developers already at UCL to determine what a successful Associate would look like, and discussed what they needed to do when they landed at UCL. With all of that time spent before the start of the training course, we managed to come up with a really good solution. We met the trainer, we selected Associates, the Associates came onsite and met with us after selection, and then again when they started the course. It was at those points we knew something was happening and it became real for us.”

Alexis Nelson, Platform Owner – Information Services Division

The Outcome

Through a phased approach, La Fosse helped UCL reduce reliance on contractors by building sustainable, in-house capability across key technical areas. Specialist hires in systems like SITS, alongside the development of permanent engineering teams, enabled greater control, consistency, and long-term value.

By combining early-career talent with experienced staff, UCL accelerated agile adoption, sparked a cultural shift toward collaboration and continuous learning, and became better positioned to deliver strategic tech initiatives while reducing long-term costs.

“We always get great feedback on La Fosse Academy Associates from the projects and product teams, from line managers, and from colleagues on the effort they put in, the speed that they pick up new things, and the enthusiasm that they approach new challenges. All feedback is fantastic.”

Alexis Nelson, Platform Owner – Information Services Division

Why La Fosse Academy?

“Partnering with La Fosse Academy has allowed us to reduce our reliance on costly third parties and rapidly build in-house development capability with talent aligned to our tech stack, culture, and long-term transformation goals. Through bespoke training, collaborative onboarding, and continuous on-site engagement, we’ve been able to onboard highly capable, pre-vetted Associates who are helping us drive agile ways of working and deliver key outcomes on time and (in) under budget.”

Michael Marques – Delivery Director, Information Services Division

“The biggest success of working with La Fosse Academy is the people we get – the Associates at UCL have been some of the best I’ve worked with – enthusiastic, bright, capable and always contributing so much to the organisation.”

Alexis Nelson, Platform Owner – Information Services Division