KVUC
In short
KVUC operates in an education landscape undergoing fundamental reform, where institutional structures, target groups, and established categories are being reshaped. SJ&K supported KVUC in defining a clearer position for the institution – developing seven strategic frames that connect identity, academic ambition, culture, societal value, and communication, and give leadership a shared language for navigating change.
Project details
KVUC plays an important role in Copenhagen’s education landscape, providing flexible pathways for young people and adults with widely different backgrounds, life situations, and educational experiences. But major reforms are changing the conditions around the institution – from the future of HF and adult education to new institutional structures and political expectations.
The challenge was therefore larger than communication. KVUC needed to clarify what the institution should stand for in a landscape where the category it has historically belonged to is itself changing.
SJ&K worked with KVUC’s leadership through analysis, workshops, strategic discussions, and iterative development to identify the tensions at the heart of the institution’s future position. The work focused not on eliminating these tensions, but on making them explicit and manageable: openness versus expectations, flexibility versus direction, inclusion versus a strong shared culture, and continuity versus institutional change.
The result was seven strategic positioning frames covering KVUC’s overall position, value creation, academic model, target group, physical and cultural place, future name, and core narrative. Together, the frames establish a shared direction centred on a simple idea: KVUC is not only a place that gives people access to education, but a place that helps them move forward – academically, personally, and socially.
A central part of the work was reframing KVUC’s role away from the traditional idea of a “second chance”. Instead, the positioning emphasises active progression, participation, high expectations, strong relationships, and learning communities. It also makes explicit that support and academic ambition are not opposites: KVUC’s strength lies in creating environments where more people are able to meet demanding expectations.
The frames are designed as more than communication tools. They provide a common strategic language for leadership, culture, student experience, political dialogue, institutional development, and future branding – helping KVUC act with greater clarity while the education landscape around it continues to change.