XPark Games joins Surrey iTEK to co-build an AI careers engine

Image credit: Minh Quach

A huge thank you to the brilliant MSc Business Analytics students who have contributed to developing our AI-Based Career Recommendation System at XPark Games, as part of the University of Surrey’s iTEK programme.

The AI recommendation engine is a core part of how we make our gamified virtual work experience genuinely useful at scale. By analysing how students engage with our games, the choices they make, the challenges they enjoy, the moments where their confidence shifts — the system surfaces personalised career pathways that feel relevant and motivating, helping each young person see themselves in real STEM careers and digital roles.

What the students delivered

This collaboration combined academic rigour with practical impact. The student team produced an in-depth literature review on AI-driven career recommendation systems, designed and tested machine learning models tailored to our context, and translated their findings into clear, usable recommendations for our product roadmap. Their hard work and insightful contributions are greatly appreciated and will directly shape what comes next.

Why iTEK matters

The iTEK programme is exactly the kind of university–industry partnership that the UK edtech and broader STEM ecosystem needs more of. For students, it offers a meaningful piece of project-based experience that complements their formal degree. For employer partners like XPark Games, it brings fresh thinking, deep technical capability, and a structured way to test new ideas. For schools and careers leaders, it ultimately means better, smarter tools landing in the classroom.

A heartfelt thank you to the iTEK programme team, Kate Bray and Dr Gareth Beeston, for enabling this collaboration and for the ongoing support throughout the project. Programmes like iTEK are a clear example of how universities can turn cutting-edge research and student talent into real-world commercial and educational impact.

At XPark Games, we’re excited to play a leading role in harnessing the power of AI and gamification to drive the evolution of personalised career development in the digital landscape. The work coming out of this collaboration moves us another step closer to that goal.

If you’re a university programme leader, employer, or careers organisation interested in collaborating with us, we’d love to hear from you.