Advanced Oxford welcomes the publication of a major new report that sets out the workforce, training and talent strategies required to unlock the full economic potential of the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor. The report, Building on the Blueprint – Skills for the Growth Corridor, was launched on 12th December at Anglia Ruskin University during the Skills for the Growth Corridor Summit in Cambridge.
Jointly published by the Arc Universities Group and the Oxford to Cambridge Supercluster Board, and supported by East West Rail, the report builds on projections that the region will need 403,000 additional high skill jobs to fully realise its economic potential. Public First, in research undertaken for the Oxford to Cambridge Supercluster Board, has estimated this potential to be worth 78 billion pounds in additional output.
The Corridor today
The Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor already represents one of Europe’s most productive innovation ecosystems, with:
- £135bn annual turnover
- 8,000+ high-tech companies, 2,500+ start-ups and 400 spinouts
- 10 major universities anchoring research excellence
- 569,000 jobs, with 27% in knowledge-intensive sectors – double the UK average
- Oxford and Cambridge ranked 1st and 5th globally for innovation intensity
However, the report warns that without urgent, coordinated action on skills, workforce and talent supply, the region will be unable to sustain this trajectory of growth or fully realise its economic potential.
A single, unifying recommendation – a Skills Commission
Drawing on extensive engagement with employers, educators, local authorities and innovation leaders, the report provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the skills required across science and technology, the green economy and the creative industries.
At its core, the report makes a single, unifying recommendation: the establishment of a dedicated Skills Commission for the Growth Corridor.
The Commission would provide the strategic coordination required to align education, training, employers, infrastructure and investment across the region – bringing together activity already underway and identifying where new provision must be created over time.
The report is clear that only through this structured, long-term approach will the region be able to:
- Align post-16 education and training with real-time industry demand
- Build flexible and accessible pathways into high-value careers
- Improve visibility of growth sectors and career opportunities
- Strengthen partnerships between employers, universities, FE providers and local authorities
- Embed future-focused capabilities such as digital literacy, sustainability, systems-thinking and problem-solving
- Ensure local communities benefit fully from innovation-led growth
National and regional leadership
The report includes forewords from Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, and Alistair Lomax, Director of the Arc Universities Group.
Lord Vallance describes the report as
“a timely and essential roadmap for ensuring the region’s workforce keeps pace with its scientific and technological ambitions.”
Alistair Lomax added:
“The Growth Corridor has world-leading strengths in research and innovation, but it will only realise its full potential with a skills system that is responsive, future-focused and accessible to all. This report provides a shared blueprint for progress.”
Connectivity as a catalyst for skills and growth
The report also highlights the enabling role of East West Rail, whose investment will expand access to education, training and employment, widen talent pools and support the labour mobility required for an inclusive, innovation-driven economy.
The full report is available to download here, alongside a supporting theme paper which provides further detail on the findings from the three core themes and the evidence underpinning the recommendations.
