Creating tomorrow’s workforce, together
Formerly known as the Business Development Team, the Future Skills & Growth Team better reflects their role: helping employers identify future skills needs and providing the support to meet them.
We work in partnership with businesses to build future-ready workforces, connecting them with the talent, training, and development opportunities they need to grow, innovate, and succeed.
Our Future Skills & Growth Team consists of four specialist teams, each with a unique focus and area of expertise.
Whether you’re looking to recruit new talent, upskill your workforce, or future-proof your organisation, our team is here to guide you every step of the way with expert advice, tailored training solutions, and connections that help your business grow and thrive.
Click on the sections below to discover more about the people, services, and support available to employers and partners.
What each team does:
Business Growth
The team’s main aim is to identify business that are experiencing skills gaps within their workforces or employers who are looking to recruit emerging talent. By understanding their challenges and ambitions, we can help connect them with the right training, recruitment, and workforce solutions.
Skills Partnership
The team’s main aim is to work with employers to identify the most appropriate training and development solutions to meet those needs. This could include apprenticeships, T Level industry placements, CPD, professional qualifications, bespoke training programmes, and other workforce development opportunities.
Relationship
The team’s main aim is to support our existing employer partners, building long-term relationships and serving as their main point of contact. By understanding each employer’s evolving needs, the team helps identify and address skills gaps, ensuring businesses can continue to develop a skilled and capable workforce.
Customer Insights
The Team’s main aim is to focus on insight, research, data analysis and apprenticeship onboarding across UCS College Group. Using data, employer feedback, market intelligence and industry insights, the team supports strategic planning, drives operational improvement, and helps inform decisions that contribute to organisational growth.
The Strategic Partnership Pathway
1. Workforce Audit
Our team conducts a deep-dive into your current skills and future goals.
2. Funding Strategy
We identify every available grant, levy, and subsidy to maximise your training budget.
3. Bespoke Delivery
We build a training roadmap that fits your operational schedule—online, on-site, or on-campus.
4. Continuous Growth
We provide regular impact reporting and a pipeline for Higher and Degree-level progression.
A Proven Track Record of Excellence
Our reputation as a trusted training provider is built on a foundation of quality, trust and continuous improvement.
Outstanding Reputation
In our most recent inspection, our apprenticeship provision was rated Outstanding, with inspectors noting that our learners “develop an extensive range of skills and knowledge… beyond the requirements of their qualifications”.
Employer-Focused Support
From initial consultation through to delivery and review, our dedicated team provides ongoing support to help employers maximise the value of their workforce development programmes.
Industry Standard Training
Our programmes are designed to meet the demands of today’s workplace, ensuring learners develop the professional readiness and high-level technical competence employers need.
Trusted by Leading Employers
Long-standing partnerships with NHS trusts, local authorities and global industry leaders help keep our curriculum current, relevant and aligned to real workforce needs.
Dedicated Support & Measurable Impact
From skills audits and workforce planning to funding advice and programme delivery, you’ll have a dedicated point of contact focused on achieving genuine, measurable return on investment for your business.
Somerset is at the epicentre of the UK’s clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital revolution. Select a strategic growth driver below to explore how our Future Skills & Growth Team connects regional mega-projects and local employers with tomorrow’s talent.
Located at the Gravity Smart Campus in Puriton, the £4bn Agratas facility is set to become Britain’s largest electric vehicle battery gigafactory. Our Future Skills & Growth Team works alongside the regional supply chain to prepare technicians, automation specialists, and clean-tech engineers from Level 2 through to Higher Technical Qualifications.
As Europe’s largest clean energy construction project reaches critical mechanical, electrical, and operational milestones, the ripple effect across Somerset’s SMEs is immense. We help regional employers backfill talent shortages, optimise Apprenticeship Levy funds, and build accredited workforce capability.
Every Somerset business is now a digital business. From embedding AI workflows for ambitious SMEs to training software developers, data analysts, and cyber specialists, our Customer Insights and Business Growth teams diagnose your digital skills gaps before they slow down your growth.
Rapid population and industrial growth require resilient public services and sustainable food production. Working closely with the NHS, care providers, and Somerset’s pioneering agricultural sector, we deliver clinical simulation training and precision land-based education across our specialist campuses.
Trusted by Employers across Somerset and beyond
Discover how UCS College Group supports excellence across industry sectors. View our full range of industry-specialist hubs and workforce solutions.
We provide a comprehensive suite of workforce development solutions designed to bridge skills gaps, reduce recruitment costs, and foster a culture of technical excellence.
Access the latest news from across the UCS College Group network, see upcoming events, and read articles from our experts.