Across the Digital Learning sector, particularly in Higher and Professional education, we’re seeing a decisive shift in how organisations approach recruitment in 2025.
Historically, Instinct has supported with the provision of permanent and contract resources in equal measure. However, with ongoing budget pressure and ‘hiring freezes’ (a popular term in 2025), many institutions are facing a similar challenge.
“We are inundated with work, but we can’t hire permanently right now.”
Likely a result of many institutes currently operating with a much leaner structure. In response, more organisations are finding contract resource as a way to maintain momentum on critical projects – without having to go through the arduous process that is permanent recruitment!
Of course, I am not saying permanent recruitment is dead, but contract resource is certainly playing a much bigger part than ever before.
So, what’s driving this shift?
Due to the uncertainty across the Education sector, Universities have had to remain agile, and contractors offer the ability to bring in specialist skills at short notice. Whether it’s for a fixed-term project, an LMS/LXP rollout, or to cover internal gaps. This has become essential for teams trying to stay responsive while working within current financial constraints.
High-impact, short-term delivery
We’re seeing a sharp increase, particularly within short-term contract needs (3–6 months). These needs are often tightly scoped and very much based on deliverables that are aligned with specific projects.
Popular ones include:
- Instructional design for new online modules or CPD programmes
- LMS configuration, implementation, and migration work
- Accessibility updates to meet WCAG 2.2
- SCORM packaging and multimedia production for a specific modules
Better control over budget and output
One of the advantages of using contract resource is the level of flexibility it gives you in managing both budget and delivery outcomes.
At Instinct, contractors log their time via online timesheets, which means you’re only ever invoiced for the time worked and approved by you. While we agree on an estimated number of days and duration up front, this is primarily for planning purposes – you’re always in control of how the resource is used.
This approach is especially useful when priorities shift mid-project (which they often do). For example, if an SME you’ve been waiting on suddenly becomes available, or a project phase moves forward unexpectedly, you can scale up resources quickly without going through another round of approvals.
It also helps avoid the risk of under-utilising internal teams or committing to fixed-term headcount before you’re sure of long-term needs. Contracting allows you to move faster, stay flexible, and make decisions based on the value being delivered, not just what’s in the original plan.
The result?
Despite numerous internal challenges, Universities and Professional Education Institutes are staying active. Unlike 10 years ago when there was arguably lot less uncertainty, institutes are building more lean, flexible digital learning teams made up of trusted external contractors.
These needs are more than just a short-term stopgap. In many cases, it’s becoming the new normal – especially in environments where strategic priorities are shifting faster than recruitment cycles can keep up. Until the sector finds greater stability, contracting is likely to remain the more practical route for many organisations compared to committing to permanent hires.
We’re currently working with several institutions that are:
- Facing restrictions with permanent recruitment
- Struggling with the speed to hire quality talent, leading to project delays
- Using contractors to bridge capability gaps during permanent hiring rounds
- Engaging Instinct on an SoW basis, which can unlock different budget lines and allow projects to move forward even when traditional recruitment is ‘frozen’.
If this sounds familiar, or if you’re unsure how to move forward with reduced internal capacity, contact us, we are always happy to talk through examples of how we may be able to help.
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