What types of investment in skills generate the largest returns? In which sectors does investment in training generate the strongest productivity benefits?

Background

The Industrial Strategy places skills at the heart of the UK’s growth ambitions. In an era of rapid technological change, the strength of the skills pipeline, from early education to digital literacy and leadership capability, will be pivotal. The government aims to enhance skills and increase access to talent. It is reforming the skills and employment support system to create a strong pipeline into the IS‑8 and future growth priorities, with opportunities for good jobs across the country. Building this future-ready workforce is essential for attracting globally mobile investment and enabling businesses to innovate and scale.

Next steps

Get in touch with [email protected]

Research fields

Related UKRI funded projects

  • Supporting the Industrial Strategy

    1) Developing Skills: Strengths and Weaknesses in the System, and What can be Done. The new Industrial Strategy must consider how the education system can create the general and specific skills needed by businesses toda...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on developing skills and driving growth across different sectors, aligning with the question's emphasis on investment in skills and productivity benefits.

  • ESRC RCUK Innovation Fellowships

    Skills and management practices are important determinants of firm productivity, but the UK has persistent problems in both areas. Recent developments create new challenges. New immigration arrangements following Brexit ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project investigates the relationship between skills, firm performance, and management practices, addressing the question's focus on investment in skills and productivity benefits.

  • Workforce productivity skills diagnostic platform - research and experimental development.

    Forget the productivity ‘puzzle’… Britain faces a productivity crisis. National and firm-level productivity in the UK has worried policy makers and business leaders for decades. But now flat growth, a debt overhang from ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: EXCEL WITH BUSINESS LIMITED

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses the importance of skills in workforce productivity, but focuses more on technology-driven solutions rather than sector-specific productivity benefits.

  • Skills2Capabilities

    The Skills2Capability project is about understanding how skill systems across Europe can reduce the level of skills mismatch in their labour markets. It is recognised that future labour markets will be more mobile with m...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

  • Ethos SkillsPlanner

    Matching the skills output of educational establishments with the needs of industry, particularly in a rapidly changing economy, is problematic. The inability to integrate the various bespoke datasets has meant the holis...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ETHOS VO LIMITED

  • Skillzminer

    "Our vision is to improve social inclusive growth and boost productivity via our digital concept called Skillzminer. Our project will demonstrate how artificial intelligence, can better predict the skills, values a...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: SKILLZ MINER LIMITED

  • Skillsplanner

    The research to be carried out focuses on providing academic knowledge in the area of skills and employment to the project as it develops to ensure a robust evidence base. It will also react to employer needs for researc...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Plymouth

  • SkillsPulse

    The study will address significant gaps in the understanding of skills deficiencies in Europe – i.e. the extent, causes, and implications of skills shortages and skills gaps. Skills shortages refer to where employers fac...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

  • Developing talent through apprenticeships

    Investing in apprenticeships is an excellent way for the UK economy to recover from the effects of COVID-19\. Apprentices each generate an average **£34,000 of economic benefit each year** in the UK and Government ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: WORKPLUS APPRENTICESHIPS LTD

  • A new approach to benchmarking the skills of companies and their employees, which then delivers the shortest and most efficient path to learning and career progression.

    Skill shortages are a major issue in the UK and arise because there are not enough people with particular skills to meet demand. The Open University estimates that skill shortages cost the UK £2bn a year in higher ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: KNOWLEDGE OFFICER LTD