Open events are where a college makes its best impression. Students and parents leave inspired, then go home to a pile of prospectuses, a generic follow-up email and an application form they will "do later". For many, later never comes.
Oaklands College set out to change that by using WhatsApp for college recruitment. Working with Flowella and Discover Digital, the college built Flowella: Future You, a WhatsApp-based information, advice and guidance tool[2] that lets students explore careers, get course recommendations and apply on the day. The result: Gold for Innovation & Creativity at the College Marketing Network's FE First Awards 2026, presented in Birmingham on 2 February 2026[1], and a 160% increase in same-day applications highlighted in the judges' feedback.
This case study explains how it worked, what the judges praised and what other further education colleges can take from it.
"Genuinely exemplar… original, strategically aligned, and delivering clear, measurable impact."
FE First Awards 2026 judges' feedback
The challenge: open events that inform but don't convert
Further education open events have traditionally relied on the same toolkit:
- Paper forms - details collected on the day, then typed up by hand afterwards.
- Static prospectuses - organised by course, when many school leavers are still working out what they want to do.
- Generic follow-up emails - sent to everyone, with little to act on.
- Delayed applications - students are told to apply online at home, once the excitement has worn off.
Students leave motivated, then get distracted. Intent fades, and so does conversion. The college has done the hard work of getting a young person through the door, but the journey stops at the exit.
The solution: WhatsApp for college recruitment, built around careers
Instead of asking students to go home and apply later, Oaklands moved the open event journey onto WhatsApp, a channel students already use. Future You was built with Flowella and connected to the college's HubSpot CRM.
Students could:
- Explore career pathways - starting from what they want to do, not a course code.
- Get personalised course recommendations - matched to the careers they picked.
- Ask questions instantly - without waiting for an email reply.
- Apply on the same day - before they left the event.
No app to download, no portal to log in to and no forms to re-type. Responses flowed into HubSpot, giving the college a single record of each student's interests.
Why a careers-first approach matters
Traditional prospectuses ask students to choose a course. Future You asks them what future they want, then shows which courses lead there. The judges singled out this careers-first prospectus model as best practice, and it is the reason the tool works as genuine information, advice and guidance rather than another marketing message.
The results: 160% more same-day applications
The judges highlighted one number above all: a 160% increase in same-day applications. They also recognised:
- Measurable engagement uplift across the student journey.
- Improved student confidence in their next step.
- Greater inclusivity, reaching students on a channel they are comfortable with.
- A more personalised recruitment experience, shaped by each student's interests.
- Scalability beyond individual events.
| Stage | Traditional open event | With a WhatsApp journey |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing interest | Paper forms, typed up later | Answers captured on the student's phone |
| Guidance | Course-led printed prospectus | Careers-first, personalised recommendations |
| Questions | Email the college and wait | Ask instantly in WhatsApp |
| Applying | Online, at home, later | On the day, before they leave |
| Follow-up | Generic email to everyone | Tailored follow-up from HubSpot |
"Winning three awards is an incredible achievement and a real testament to the creativity, ambition and dedication of our marketing team."
Peter Hudson, Director of Admissions, Brand & Customer Innovation, Oaklands College[3]
Why it worked: what the judges called best practice
The College Marketing Network's judging panel[4] praised the entry for:
- Innovative use of WhatsApp for careers guidance, not just marketing messages.
- Clear, SMART, conversion-led objectives.
- Collaboration between marketing, careers and the senior leadership team.
- Strategic alignment with the college's wider digital transformation.
- A careers-first prospectus model that puts the student's ambitions first.
They also noted the role of the CRM:
"The integration with HubSpot demonstrated sustainability and long-term value."
FE First Awards 2026 judges' feedback
That is the difference between a clever campaign and lasting infrastructure. Because the journey is connected to HubSpot, it can outlive a single event and keep improving.
What other FE colleges can take from Future You
The judges said the project has "clear potential to inspire other colleges". Five lessons travel well:
- Start with careers, not courses - ask students what they want to become, then show them the route.
- Make applying possible in the moment - the best time to apply is while the student is still excited, not a week later.
- Use the channel students already use - WhatsApp needs no download and no log-in. See what WhatsApp Flows are and how they collect structured answers.
- Connect it to your CRM - send every answer to HubSpot so follow-up is personal. Here is how HubSpot can send a WhatsApp message after a form.
- Design for all year, not one evening - the same journey can support enquiries, applications and enrolment.
What's next
The judges suggested one area to develop: deeper quantitative mapping between student engagement and specific career-path choices. We are already building that layer.
For Flowella, the award is not a finish line. It is a foundation.
Bring WhatsApp into your student recruitment
Future You shows what happens when a college meets students where they already are: more same-day applications, better guidance and data the admissions team can act on. If your open events inform but don't convert, the same approach can work for you.
Book a Flowella demo and we'll show you how a WhatsApp journey could work at your next open event, or start a free trial and build your first Flow from an existing HubSpot form.
Colleges can also buy Flowella through G-Cloud 15 on the Digital Marketplace. Read about Flowella on G-Cloud 15.
