Michele Palmer

About Me

I am a strategic careers, employability and employer engagement leader with extensive experience across Higher and Further Education, helping institutions strengthen the connection between education, industry and opportunity.

My career has been built on creating meaningful partnerships, designing innovative employability initiatives and leading services that improve student and graduate outcomes. I have successfully developed employer engagement strategies, transformed employability provision, enhanced work-based learning opportunities and led projects that bring together students, educators, employers and communities to create lasting impact.

As a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA), Registered Career Development Professional (RCDP) and Chartered Management Institute recognised professional, I bring a distinctive combination of academic practice, professional services leadership and operational expertise. My work is underpinned by a strong commitment to social mobility, equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that opportunities are accessible, equitable and meaningful for all learners.

My expertise spans careers education, graduate employability, employer engagement, placements and work-based learning, knowledge exchange, service transformation, stakeholder engagement and organisational development. I enjoy working at both strategic and operational levels, helping organisations navigate change, strengthen partnerships and develop approaches that deliver measurable outcomes.

Throughout my career, I have led large-scale service improvements, developed innovative employer engagement models, enhanced graduate outcomes and contributed to sector-wide conversations on employability, knowledge exchange and inclusive practice. I am particularly passionate about creating sustainable relationships between education and industry that generate value for learners, organisations and communities alike.

Alongside my institutional leadership experience, I provide consultancy and advisory support to organisations seeking expertise in employability strategy, employer engagement, work-based learning, graduate outcomes, service reviews, quality enhancement and organisational development. I bring a practical, evidence-informed approach that combines strategic thinking with implementation, ensuring ideas translate into meaningful and sustainable impact.

I believe that effective careers and employability practice has the power to transform lives, strengthen organisations and contribute to wider social and economic prosperity. Whether supporting strategic planning, reviewing provision, developing partnerships or designing innovative solutions, my focus remains the same: creating opportunities that enable individuals and organisations to thrive.

If your organisation is seeking strategic insight, independent review, programme development or leadership expertise in careers, employability, employer engagement, work-based learning or knowledge exchange, I would be delighted to connect and explore how we can work together.