Work Local: evidence of success

Local evidence for a Work Local approach


Below you can find case studies highlighting local government’s leadership and innovation in bringing together partners and national schemes to improve outcomes for residents, businesses and other employers. They demonstrate the benefits of adopting a Work Local approach.

Evidence of local government's added value in employment and skills

  • Councils’ role in the employment and skills landscape in the UK: Local government across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are already on a path to achieving a place based employment and skills system for their communities.
  • Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils: Babergh and Mid Suffolk work with Suffolk County Council to support the efforts happening in their region to meet the skills agenda, funding initiatives such as The Mix, which helps young people to develop life skills.
  • Bristol City Council: Bristol’s employment, skills and learning service works proactively to ensure it adds value to the skills and employment system, including through its ‘Bristol One City’ partnership.
  • Central London Forward: Central London Forward provides support, coordination and partnership working across councils in central London, leading on key programmes such as ‘Central London Works’
  • Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Greater Manchester are aiming to create an integrated education, skills and work system, supporting partners to deliver services and programmes that help people progress in life and in work, enabling the city to thrive.
  • Hampshire County Council: Hampshire’s skills strategy and action plan works across two Local Education Partnerships and three unitary areas. This requires them to develop strong partnerships with providers and employers, with good skills programme networks to meet their region’s diverse needs
  • Lincolnshire County Council: Lincolnshire are faced with the challenge of working across a large and dispersed county. By creating strategic alliances, they have developed provision that enables them to meet their skills and employment challenges. 
  • Northumberland County Council: Northumberland’s ambition is to deliver the ‘Inclusive Economy’ agenda, by joining up investment streams and ensuring employment support is delivered in a more collaborative way across local authority areas.
  • Tees Valley Combined Authority: Tees Valley aims to grow the local economy by focusing on transforming education, employment and skills across the area. Their Routes to Work pilot has supported almost 4,000 people and helped nearly 800 back into employment.