Work package 1

Work package 1 involves quantitative analysis to assess the responsiveness of skills supply to changes in local skills demands. Data from the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) dataset will be used to analyse the skills acquired by young people across four English combined authority regions (the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, the West of England, and Tees Valley) that have each been subject to the growth of new sectors over the past several decades. Through analysing the education and training courses completed by three cohorts of young people and comparing this with data on changing sectoral compositions from the Inter-Departmental Business Register, the work package will assess the extent to which the supply of skills through the education and training system changed over time in line with the growth of particular sectors locally (e.g. the automotive industry in the West Midlands, the media industry in Greater Manchester). This will provide insights into the degree to which skills provision adapts to local skills demands, providing a foundation to underpin the following work packages. The data will also be used to map the amount and types of local skills provision related to green and low carbon sectors in the qualitative case study regions. 

Work package 2

This work package explores how local/regional skills ecosystems in England function to align education and training provision with existing or perceived future skills demands. The work package involves qualitative fieldwork in two English case study regions to assess how stakeholders identify and plan for changing skills demands in industries linked to the green transition. Local and regional policy documents, including economic and net zero strategies and Local Skills Improvement Plans, will be analysed, and interviews will be undertaken with three main groups of stakeholders: further and higher education providers, employers, and local/regional government officers working on local and regional economic strategy and skills policy. Thematic analysis of the resultant data will provide insights into current practices, relationships, and the existence of barriers and potential areas for improved collaboration and coordination.

Work package 3

Work package 3 explores young people’s decisions, perceptions, and future plans regarding post-16 education or training related to green skills. Through interviews with young people aged 16-24, this work package investigates sources of careers advice and young people's views about educational and career opportunities in low carbon sectors, with attention paid to axes of difference (gender, race, class, disability). A key aim is to explore the extent to which young people are aware of local training and employment opportunities related to green industries and feel that these are “for them”, and the extent to which they feel that education and training on offer locally will help them to build a career in their preferred sector. WP3 will not only give voice to an often-neglected group in debates about skills ecosystems and local and regional economic development, but also enable a better understanding of how young people can be more effectively informed and motivated about working in local (green) growth sectors.

Work package 4

The final work package involves developing a set of policy recommendations for local and regional governments looking to better align skills supply and demand. These recommendations will incorporate good practice identified in the two case studies or elsewhere, as well as broader issues, including how national education and skills policy can better support the ability of local areas to foster inclusive skills formation approaches. Initial draft recommendations will be developed by the research team, which will then be refined through two workshops with stakeholders in the two case study regions, creating an element of co-production.