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This paper examines the drivers for change behind the development of ‘experience-led degrees’ that aim to equip students with the employability skills needed by industry. The term ‘experience-led engineering degree’ is derived from the Sainsbury Review and is taken to mean components of an engineering degree that develop industry related skills and which may also include industry interaction.It presents the relevant findings from a study of how engineering degrees meet the needs of industry (Engineering graduates for industry) which used a case study approach to address the research question: “how can we enhance a sustainable world-class higher education engineering sector that meets the graduate recruitment needs of industry?” Six case studies were developed describing examples of experience-led components in engineering departments across England.A number of key messages emerged from the analysis of the case studies. This paper looks in detail at the drivers that lead to change within universiti...