A recent report in FE Week highlighted how students are turning to AI for careers advice rather than speaking to a traditional college careers advisor. Reasons for this are stated as ease, availability and the increased empathy offered by AI chatbots which calls to question the quality and validity of the advice being received.

At Active we believe that this trend towards AI can be harnessed and turned into opportunity. We have over 10 years of experience in careers advice and labour insight and work extensively with FE colleges across the country. Our FE CRM and Student Services Solutions give colleges the chance to boost engagement with their students and improves outcomes.

FE colleges could ease the pressure on their student services careers advice teams by utilising the power of building an AI chatbot. This could be built as a tool to analyse skills, interests and academic data to view potential careers paths. The results can be used to recommend qualifications, courses or next steps.

An AI chatbot could also provide answers to common questions and share access to resources, easing demand on staff. For example, Microsoft Copilot Studio could be used to develop a conversational agent that reduces the demands placed on admissions teams, this could provide the answers to common questions such as grade requirements, course information and funding information. This would give staff more time to focus on complex cases. A Microsoft Copilot agent can be set up to work across your website, SMS and WhatsApp which provides a greater range of ways to reach students.

The opportunities are not only related to AI, at Active we can help your college increase virtual support offerings. For example, your college could benefit from a student support app, enabling students to book appointments and access support resources. We have also set up Microsoft Teams CRM integration for some of our college customers, this allows staff to make and receive calls through their CRM. This gives them immediate access to student information, improving communication and levels of support.

Talk to our team about the ways in which Active can help your college ease pressures on staff while also increasing the support you can deliver.