The UK’s largest city without a university could lead the way in shaping a radical new approach to training and education for the high-skilled, well-paid jobs of the future, it can be announced.
Publishing the Wakefield Futures Commission report, leading academic Professor Sir Chris Husbands has set out a plan to transform Wakefield to a high-skills economy built on better jobs, stronger industries, and greater prosperity for all. Central to the Commission’s recommendations is the creation of an employer-led civic hub named the ‘Wakefield Futures Centre’.
The proposed new centre would focus skills investment on the district’s fastest growing business sectors, to boost jobs and ensure that learning is accessible for all. Crucially, unlike many university courses, this higher-level skills training would be co-designed with employers, and help lead to real, well-paying jobs in the local labour market – helping businesses to grow and succeed while putting more money in people’s pockets.
The training would also be short, affordable and flexible to accommodate the day-to-day needs and caring responsibilities of learners, making it easier for people to improve their lives through new training and better-paid work. After establishing the commission last year, Wakefield Council's Deputy Leader Jack Hemingway and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin welcomed its findings at a launch event yesterday (10 September).
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “West Yorkshire is a region of grafters – our greatest currency is our people, and our greatest strength is our diversity.
“Yet for too long, residents of all ages and backgrounds have been locked out of the higher skilled jobs they need to thrive. This groundbreaking report shows how Wakefield could provide the blueprint for skills-led growth across the UK, by embracing the hands-on, employer-led training that many people need to be able to seize the good jobs of the future.
“We welcome the commission’s recommendations and will now consider how best to take them forward, to deliver our mission of putting more money in people’s pockets and building a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.” Cllr Jack Hemingway, Deputy Leader of Wakefield Council, said: “Wakefield is a place full of pride, creativity, and ambition.
“From Production Park staging some of the world’s biggest shows, our inspiring cultural offer, our emerging strength in the service sector, and the cutting-edge work of our manufacturing firms. Our district has so much to celebrate.
“But we know there’s more we can do to grow our skills base to help local people thrive in the economy of the future. That’s why we welcome the findings of the Commission, and we’ll be looking closely at creating a long-term plan of how we can take them forward.
“There are no quick fixes, but we want every resident to have access to the skills and qualifications they need to secure high-quality, well-paid jobs. By widening access to higher-level skill provision, we will unlock more of our district’s potential.”
Professor Sir Chris Husbands, Chair of the Wakefield Futures Commission, said: “There are no simple solutions to complex problems, and places need joined-up action that grows the demand for higher-skilled jobs at the same time as growing the supply of higher-skill people.
“This is what the Wakefield Futures Centre could deliver – the civic backbone that connects our complicated skills system together, points it unapologetically toward the higher-skilled jobs of the future, and creates better opportunities for residents to access training on their terms, boosting productivity and growth. I would like to thank our commissioners and the political leadership of West Yorkshire for their ambition to transform Wakefield into a high-skilled district, and – in the process – provide a blueprint for other areas and the UK government to adopt.”
Since the financial crash of 2008, Britain has faced a productivity challenge. Without abundant natural resources to rely on, the country depends on the skills of its people. Yet cities and towns like Wakefield – with a proud industrial heritage but a lack of higher-level skills for the modern economy – have been caught in a cycle of poor pay and poor productivity.
In Wakefield, the average worker produces £55,750 per year for the economy, compared with £67,338 nationally. Closing the gap just with the rest of West Yorkshire, where the average is £58,776, would boost the local economy by more than £533 million every year.
Jobs growth in Wakefield has been strong, but the majority of new posts are in lower-skilled sectors. 8.2% of Wakefield’s jobs are in knowledge-intensive industries like advanced manufacturing, digital or the creative industries. To match the West Yorkshire average, the district would need 12,000 more of these higher-skill roles.
In 2023, 29% of residents held higher-level qualifications (such as a bachelor’s degree). New figures suggest that as many as 38% could hold these qualifications, but England as a whole stands at 47%. This means that too many Wakefield residents are excluded from higher-paying jobs, with average weekly pre-tax earnings at £644, below the national figure of £728.
The Wakefield Futures Commission rejects “quick fixes” and calls for system change – growing both the supply of skilled people and the demand for higher-skilled jobs at the same time. The proposed new Wakefield Futures Centre would sit at the heart of this transformation.
It would:
- Connect employers with colleges and universities to co-design courses that meet real labour market need.
- Promote short, flexible and affordable courses so adults can retrain around their existing work and caring responsibilities.
- Back a small number of high growth sectors – including advanced manufacturing, logistics, the creative industries and the green economy – where Wakefield has unique sector strengths.
- Track the results and publish an annual report card showing progress on skills, wages and economic growth.
Local and regional leaders are committed to doing their part, but the report also makes three simple asks of the UK government:
- Introduce new bursaries so adults can afford short, higher-level courses.
- Give local leaders more flexibility to shape training around employer demand.
- Allow small and medium-sized businesses to use their apprenticeship levy contributions for modular courses, not just full apprenticeships.
These changes, the Commission argues, could unlock a wave of adult participation in higher-level training and help smaller firms to grow their talent. Wakefield is a great place. It is an ancient cathedral city.
It has fantastic countryside within easy reach. It is close to the vibrant cities of Leeds and Manchester. It sits at the heart of a well-connected road and rail system.
Its schools are successful. But in some respects, Wakefield is not thriving. Its economy underperforms.
There are too few highly skilled jobs. Despite some amazing companies, there is not enough innovation in the economy. And far too few adults have the sort of higher-level skills which the economy of the future will demand.
The Wakefield Futures Commission was set up to address the gap between the economy Wakefield has now, and the economy it needs to succeed better for its citizens. The report argues that by embracing a new way of doing things, and by harnessing the civic backbone of a new Wakefield Futures Centre, the district’s transformation could be a model for cities and towns across the UK facing similar barriers.
As the largest city in the UK without a university, Wakefield is ideally placed to lead a new approach to higher skills and economic growth, by gearing the economy toward the growing sectors and well-paid jobs of the future. By showing how to attract greater highly skilled jobs and people, while using innovation and collaboration to pivot toward the modern knowledge economy, the district can demonstrate what “levelling up” really looks like in practice – better skills, better jobs and better lives.
The full Wakefield Futures Commission Report can be read online at: ‘Wakefield Futures Commission Report’.