Edinburgh Business School (EBS) is part of Heriot-Watt University and operates across the university’s campuses in Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia. Alongside delivering on-campus business education, EBS delivers online education to more than 7000 in-work learners across the globe, with a quarter of this online student population being in sub-Saharan Africa. The School’s online educational experience traces its origin back to 1997 when EBS launched a distance learning MBA, with the School subsequently being an early mover to online delivery in 2003.

Reflecting this global reach and the importance of education in-work students, the mission of the School is of being a leader in accessible practice-oriented education and research. This mission, and the centrality of online education to the School, is anchored in Heriot-Watt’s legacy as the world’s first Mechanic’s Institute. Founded in 1821, the Institute was established to train and educate the workforce required by the thriving Scottish economy of the early 19th century. EBS is a proud inheritor of that legacy and is committed to delivering high-quality education that supports the development of working professionals in order to strengthen the organisations and communities of which they form part.

Given such a mission, and positioning, of Edinburgh Business School, the Lifelong Education Institute is a natural organisation for the School and University to join. The School brings long-term experience of, and expertise in, the delivery of education to learners at all stages of their lives and is committed to sharing such experience and expertise in order to support economic and societal development. Equally, through the LEI, the School seeks to engage with businesses, professional organisations and government in order to support the development of policies and practices which support the delivery of high-quality accessible education to learners throughout their lives.