IOE informs new report on opportunities of Heathrow airport expansion

Launched by Lord David Blunkett, the Heathrow Skills Taskforce report explores how expanding Heathrow airport could have a positive impact on the area’s local communities as well as the country as a whole through the creation of skills hubs.

The Taskforce commissioned the IOE to carry out research into what other major infrastructure projects have put in place. 

The IOE recommended that Heathrow establishes a strategic level skills partnership with its further education and higher education partners. It suggests a strategic collaboration would help Heathrow fulfil its ambition to leave a legacy for wider industry to benefit from. 

The findings suggest enhanced partnership working would enable an expanding Heathrow to contribute to economic growth and help tackle social mobility by pooling resources to focus on low skilled people to access the right training and progression opportunities, including those already in work. It would also support small and medium-sized enterprise employers to capitalise on major infrastructure developments by ensuring they have the skills to deliver client need.

The IOE also recommended that the partnership would help facilitate Heathrow’s commitment to ensure 10,000 apprenticeships by 2030 and deliver 40,000 local jobs.

This would have the advantage of allowing colleges and providers with the Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy to plan ahead in terms of the infrastructure and appropriate personnel to deliver over the years ahead. Although initial work would benefit with a small group of further education and higher education partners local to Heathrow, this could expand nationwide. 

The report’s recommendations are split into five key themes: leading business change, celebrating diversity and embracing inclusion, maximising apprenticeship opportunities, promoting career choices and engaging with the education sector and enabling skills for a lasting legacy.

Paul Grainger, Co-Director of the Centre for Post-14 Education and Work, said: 

“With the confirmation of a third runway at Heathrow the infrastructural ramifications for the West of London and nationally are huge, not just in a massive construction project, but also in the expansion and uplift of the service skills required to remain competitive in a fiercely contested global market. Developing a workforce with world class skills will be a suitable challenge for our further and technical education sector.”

Media contact

Rowan Walker, UCL Media Relations
Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 8515 
Email: rowan.walker@ucl.ac.uk

Links

• Read the report ‘A beacon of opportunity: Independent recommendations report of the Heathrow Skills Taskforce’ (PDF)
• Q&A with Paul Grainger
• View Professor Ken Spours’ research profile
• Centre for Post-14 Education and Work
• Department of Education, Practice and Society