Innovating for the Future: Lessons from the Warwickshire Skills Hub
- truthaboutlocalgov
- Oct 7
- 9 min read
In today’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, local authorities face mounting pressure to foster resilient, inclusive, and future-ready communities. The challenges are multifaceted: shifting labour markets, technological disruption, rising youth unemployment, and the urgent need to support vulnerable groups into sustainable employment. At the same time, councils must navigate constrained budgets, complex funding streams, and fragmented skills delivery systems.
Against this backdrop, Warwickshire County Council’s Skills Hub, launched in early 2020, stands out as a beacon of innovation and strategic foresight. Conceived just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hub has grown from a modest initiative into a county-wide engine for economic development, skills alignment, and inclusive growth. It now supports over 27 programmes, engages with hundreds of employers, and is preparing to manage a projected £14 million budget under Warwickshire’s Level 2 devolution deal. What makes the Warwickshire Skills Hub particularly compelling is its holistic approach: it bridges the gap between business needs, education provision, and community aspirations. It simplifies the fragmented skills landscape into a one-stop-shop for employers, schools, and residents—offering tailored support, strategic partnerships, and measurable outcomes.
In this blog, we explore the journey of the Warwickshire Skills Hub through the lens of Mark Ryder, Executive Director for Communities. Drawing on his insights from a recent interview on the Truth About Local Government podcast, we unpack the key milestones, challenges, and lessons learned, so that other councils can adapt and apply this model to their own local contexts.
Why the Warwickshire Skills Hub Was Created
“Our key objective was ensuring Warwickshire’s economy was strong and would get stronger with a well-skilled workforce that would support businesses to grow and offer residents access to good quality jobs.” Mark Ryder, Executive Director for Communities
The Warwickshire Skills Hub was launched in February 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and education systems nationwide. Despite the timing, the Hub quickly became a cornerstone of Warwickshire’s economic resilience strategy.
Its purpose was clear: to simplify the fragmented skills landscape by aligning the needs of local businesses with the aspirations of residents from school leavers to adults returning to work. By creating a one-stop-shop for skills development, education, and employment, Warwickshire positioned itself to respond nimbly to both immediate challenges and long-term workforce trends.
From £100,000 to £14 Million: Building Critical Mass
The Skills Hub began with:
A £100,000 core budget from Warwickshire County Council
A team of just four people
Two initial programmes
Fast forward to 2025, and the Hub has scaled dramatically:
37 staff members, with plans to grow to 100
27 active programmes supporting businesses, schools, and communities
A projected £14 million revenue in 2026, driven by Warwickshire’s Level 2 devolution deal and the devolved Adult Education Budget
“You struggle to do that with four people. When you’ve got a big team of strong expertise, you can adapt to pretty much any circumstance.” Mark Ryder
This growth wasn’t accidental. It was the result of strategic co-investment, external funding, and a reputation for delivery. Warwickshire built critical mass not just in staffing and budget, but in influence, agility, and trust across sectors.
Key Milestones for Success: Lessons from Warwickshire’s Skills Hub
Local authorities aiming to replicate Warwickshire’s success should focus on three interconnected pillars:
1. Co-Investment and External Funding
“Initially the team worked solely within a core budget… about £100,000 of County Council money… but building on reputation and good partnerships, we were able to secure new funding at every step.” Mark Ryder
What Warwickshire did:
Started small with internal funding.
Built credibility through early delivery.
Secured external grants from the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, and leveraged the apprenticeship levy to support small businesses.
Takeaway for councils:
Start lean but deliver well. Even modest investment can unlock larger funding if outcomes are clear.
Leverage existing assets like apprenticeship levies or devolution deals.
Build partnerships early co-investment with local businesses and education providers strengthens bids for national funding.
2. Reputation and Delivery
“When you start doing something well… you demonstrate results… you engage with thousands of young people… and external funds start flowing.” Mark Ryder
What Warwickshire did:
Delivered tangible outcomes: over 27 programmes, 37 staff, and growing to £14 million revenue.
Created a Supported Employers Forum with 60+ employers, opening up jobs for SEND young people.
Built trust with schools, businesses, and national funders.
Takeaway for councils:
Track and share impact use metrics like job placements, business engagement, and programme reach.
Build a reputation for delivery success attracts more partners and funding.
Create inclusive programmes SEND and neurodiverse initiatives show social value and unlock untapped talent.
3. Agility and Adaptability
“60% of jobs that will exist in five years don’t exist yet… how do you keep pace with that?” Mark Ryder
What Warwickshire did:
Maintained strong business engagement to understand emerging sectors.
Acted as a commissioning hub, adapting provision through third-party providers.
Focused on future-facing industries like automotive, gaming, and digital.
Takeaway for councils:
Stay close to employers understand evolving skills needs.
Be flexible in delivery commission rather than control provision.
Think long-term skills development is a strategic investment, not a quick fix.
Inclusive Employment: SEND and Neurodiversity
Warwickshire County Council’s Skills Hub has made inclusive employment a central pillar of its strategy, particularly focusing on young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who are neurodivergent.
“If individuals with SEND don’t find sustainable employment by 18 or 19, the numbers drop off a cliff.” Mark Ryder
This stark reality drives Warwickshire’s proactive approach. The Supported Employers Forum, a key initiative of the Hub, brings together over 60 employers to:
Demystify SEND employment
Break down misconceptions
Showcase the strengths and potential of young people with SEND
Why This Matters
Many businesses hesitate to hire SEND or neurodivergent individuals due to uncertainty about:
Workplace adjustments
Communication styles
Integration with existing teams
Warwickshire tackled this head-on by creating a safe space for dialogue, education, and myth-busting. The result? Scores of job opportunities opened up, and businesses began to see the value these individuals bring not just in productivity, but in enriching workplace culture.
“Yes, they’ve got challenges, but yes, they’ve got a lot to offer… a real high value not only for business outputs, but for the business community and their other employees.” Mark Ryder
Practical Takeaways for Councils
Start with employer education
Host forums or roundtables to address fears and share success stories.
Create a visible pathway
Help SEND and neurodivergent individuals transition from education to employment through tailored programmes and work experience.
Measure impact
Track job placements, employer satisfaction, and retention rates to demonstrate success.
Celebrate diversity
Promote inclusive hiring as a strength not a challenge and showcase the societal benefits.
Tailored Support for Businesses: Staying Relevant in a Fast-Moving Economy
“60% of jobs that will exist in five years don’t exist yet.” Mark Ryder
This striking statistic underscores the urgency for local authorities to future-proof their skills strategies. Warwickshire’s Skills Hub has responded by embedding tailored business support into its core offer ensuring that local employers, education providers, and residents are aligned with the evolving demands of the economy.
What Tailored Support Looks Like in Practice
Warwickshire’s approach includes:
Sector-specific engagement: Regular dialogue with key industries such as automotive, advanced manufacturing, digital, and gaming to understand emerging trends and skills gaps.
Commissioning through third parties: The Hub doesn’t deliver all training directly. Instead, it acts as a strategic broker, commissioning provision from colleges and independent providers based on real-time business intelligence.
Curriculum influence: By maintaining strong links with education providers, the Hub helps shape curricula to reflect future job markets not just current vacancies.
“We need to understand that we live in an incredibly fast-moving world… particularly in sectors key for Warwickshire.” Mark Ryder
Why This Matters
Traditional education pathways often lag behind market needs. Warwickshire’s model ensures:
Businesses get the skills they need
Young people are prepared for jobs that don’t yet exist
Education providers stay agile and responsive
Takeaways for Local Authorities
Map your local economy
Identify priority sectors and emerging industries. Use labour market data and employer feedback to guide investment.
Act as a connector
Position your council as the bridge between business and education. Facilitate conversations, partnerships, and co-designed programmes.
Invest in adaptability
Build internal capacity to respond quickly to new opportunities whether through devolution funding, pilot programmes, or flexible commissioning.
Measure relevance
Track how well your skills offer aligns with business needs. Use employer satisfaction, job placement rates, and curriculum changes as indicators.
Collaboration with Schools: Unlocking Future Talent
Warwickshire County Council has strategically leveraged its education department to build strong, practical links between schools and the local economy a vital move in preparing young people for the future workforce.
“We offer schools the opportunity to passport their young people into the business community.” Mark Ryder
This “passporting” approach is about creating real-world pathways from education into employment, ensuring that students especially those facing barriers are not left behind.
Key Elements of Warwickshire’s School Collaboration Strategy
Careers Advice and Work Experience
The Skills Hub supports schools in delivering meaningful careers guidance, often constrained by limited budgets and changing government requirements.
It facilitates work experience programmes and staged events that connect students directly with employers.
Navigating Financial Pressures
Recognising the financial strain on schools, the Hub offers free or subsidised access to career development resources and employer engagement opportunities.
This helps schools meet statutory duties without compromising quality.
Creating Pathways to Employment
Through partnerships with local businesses, the Hub ensures students gain early exposure to the workplace, helping them make informed decisions about their education and career paths.
This is especially critical for students with SEND or those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“There’s a space we can operate in… giving schools the opportunity to guide their young people into the right places to get the right experience and advice.” Mark Ryder
Takeaways for Local Authorities
Use existing relationships: Councils already manage school place planning leverage this to build deeper strategic partnerships.
Fill the careers advice gap: Many schools lack the capacity to deliver robust careers programmes. Councils can step in with coordinated support.
Make it easy for schools to engage: Offer ready-made programmes, employer connections, and practical toolkits.
Track outcomes: Measure how many students transition into apprenticeships, further education, or employment through council-supported initiatives.
Unintended but Positive Consequences: Unlocking Value Through Innovation
One of the most striking outcomes of Warwickshire’s Skills Hub has been its ability to unlock hidden value through existing resources particularly the apprenticeship levy.
“We lever over £1 million of our own apprenticeship levy into small businesses… it’s not a donation, it’s levering funding into our local business community that adds real value.” Mark Ryder
Instead of letting unused levy funds go to waste, Warwickshire redirected them to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) enabling them to hire apprentices without bearing the full financial burden. This initiative:
Strengthened local business capacity
Created new job opportunities
Boosted the local economy without additional cost to the council
Takeaway for councils: Look for creative ways to repurpose existing funding streams. The apprenticeship levy, devolution budgets, and national grants can be powerful tools when strategically deployed.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Despite its success, the Skills Hub faced several challenges many of which will be familiar to other councils:
1. Complex Government Funding Criteria
Navigating the bureaucracy of national funding schemes requires time, expertise, and persistence. Warwickshire succeeded by building a team that could manage compliance while staying focused on delivery.
2. Breaking Down Sector Silos
The skills sector is often fragmented with education, employment, and business support operating in isolation. Warwickshire’s hub model helped unify these strands, but it took time to build trust and shared purpose.
3. Recruiting the Right People
“Getting the right people… passionate, committed… takes a lot of those challenges away.” Mark Ryder
Success hinged on hiring staff who understood the local economy, cared about outcomes, and could build relationships across sectors.
Takeaway for councils:Invest in people and partnerships. The right team can overcome structural barriers and drive innovation from the ground up.
Measuring Impact: What Success Looks Like
Warwickshire’s Skills Hub uses clear, outcome-focused metrics to track progress and justify investment:
Number of young people engaged
Time spent and opportunities created
Sustainable employment outcomes
Business engagement metrics
“We measure the number of young people we engage with… the opportunities they have… and most importantly, the effective routes to sustainable employment.” Mark Ryder
Increasingly, the Hub also tracks business satisfaction and relevance, ensuring its offer remains aligned with employer needs.
Takeaway for councils: Define success in terms of real-world outcomes not just participation. Focus on job creation, employer engagement, and long-term impact.
Final Thoughts
“We just found a sweet spot in terms of what was needed.” Mark Ryder
The Warwickshire Skills Hub stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when local government combines vision, collaboration, and strategic investment. It didn’t begin with vast resources or a perfect moment it launched on the eve of a global pandemic. Yet through strong leadership, community engagement, and a relentless focus on outcomes, it has grown into a nationally respected model for inclusive, future-focused economic development.
As councils across the UK face reorganisation, devolution, and increasing pressure to deliver more with less, Warwickshire’s journey offers practical inspiration. It shows that:
Small beginnings can lead to transformative impact
Inclusive employment isn’t just ethical it’s economically smart
Partnerships with schools, businesses, and providers are essential
Success is measurable and must be measured
The Skills Hub didn’t just respond to the needs of today it anticipated the challenges of tomorrow. It built a system that is agile, scalable, and deeply rooted in place-based leadership. For councils looking to build a future-ready workforce, this is more than a case study it’s a call to action.
