Our vision

Inspiring and developing our future workforce so that business can grow.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) aims to help businesses invest and grow. To do this, it is vital businesses can access a workforce with the right skills.

Young people also need to benefit from the opportunities that growth in Greater Cambridge provides.

By helping young people secure the skills they need to succeed in the Greater Cambridge economy, GCP hopes to create job opportunities. This will also help to meet the current skills shortage faced by businesses in Greater Cambridge.

The Challenge

Cambridge has seen huge success as a world leader in the science, research and biotechnology environments. This success is continuing through the attraction of international companies and the development of numerous science parks and campuses.

Today, Cambridge is Europe's largest technology cluster. Around 61,000 people are employed by the more than 5,000 knowledge-intensive firms in the area. These firms have combined annual revenue of over £15.5 billion.

The Greater Cambridge economy, therefore, has a need for skills in areas such as professional science, biomedical science, clean technology, technology and advanced manufacturing. These are often referred to as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

STEM skills not only open doors to numerous fields of work - they pay more than the average salary. Geographical areas with higher-level STEM skills are also more likely to have experienced recent economic growth.

GCP would like to encourage more young people to take up the opportunities of working in these subjects. We are doing this by offering them the training and skills necessary to succeed; helping every person in the Greater Cambridge area to move into a rewarding and successful career.

Aims

Working with partners across education, training and business, GCP will:

  • Create an additional 420 apprenticeships across Greater Cambridge
  • Support employers to increase training and to bring businesses, training providers and the local community together to develop training that meets employers' needs and supports growth
  • Encourage local schools to support and educate students on the benefits of apprenticeships and help them to choose their path for the future
  • Forge stronger links between businesses and the education sector to encourage greater uptake of training and apprenticeships

Form the Future

Funded by GCP, Form the Future works with students of all ages, ranging from primary school to sixth forms and full-time education. The aim is to open the students' eyes to a wide range of possibilities in the region and to help them think more broadly about future career options and pathways.

Through the Greater Cambridge Apprenticeship programme, schools and businesses are brought together. This allows students to learn about opportunities in the region and develop the skills to be successful.