Work and Skills

Islington: building equality and prosperity though learning

In this guest blog from Islington Council’s Assistant Director of Community Learning & Libraries, Akeel Ahmed, he explains why Islington have put adult skills and learning at the heart of their community wealth building approach.

“I needed a career change and had no confidence as I hadn’t applied for a job or done any learning since I was 16. They’ve really supported me and the courses are really practical. I start my new job next month”.

Why we’re trialling a four day week

03 Oct. 2022

We need to talk about nightlife

The creative sector represents a huge employer in the UK. It contributes billions to the economy, employs thousands, and is a key export of our economy. Yet the sector faces enormous challenges in UK cities. The cost of rent, poor connectivity, and licencing problems resulting from city centre residential developments are just some of the issues cultural operators face.

How can health care organisations maximise their resources to improve population health?

The Five Year Forward View and evolution towards integrated care systems have placed greater expectations on the NHS to work across a geographical area and maximise its resources to improve the health of a local population. And while this focus on place-based systems of care has spurred developments in the way services are designed and delivered to help prevent ill health and promote wellbeing, limited attention has been given to how the NHS can influence the economic conditions that help create health in the first place.

The impact the NHS has on people’s health extends well beyond its role as a provider of treatment and care. As large employers, purchasers, and capital asset holders, health care organisations are well positioned to use their spending power and resources to address the adverse social, economic and environmental factors that widen inequalities and contribute to poor health.

MANIFESTO

What Needs to be Done: The Manifesto for Local Economies

1st June 2017

1.1MB .pdf

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CLES launches What Needs to be Done: The Manifesto for Local Economies

01 Jun. 2017

What should a modern industrial strategy look like?

Does the modern industrial strategy published this week offer the radical departure our economy requires? While the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (Cles) welcomes the first industrial strategy to be published in more than a generation, we are concerned it will do little to fundamentally alter the fortunes of the people and places that have been ravaged by each wave of industrial restructuring since the late 1970s.

We need a real deal on devolution- new joint SPERI and CLES report

21 Jul. 2016

RESEARCH

Skills policy that works for all

23rd June 2016

177.9kB .pdf

This paper builds on The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) knowledge and experience of working in different areas of the...

Solving the skills mismatch

We are facing a huge challenge to keep pace with skills requirements of rapidly developing industry and technology. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills reported that just over one fifth of job vacancies were considered heard to fill due to skills shortages.