The Skills Revolution - can lifelong learning save the UK economy? - SKOPE Working Paper

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

A SKOPE working paper by Dr James Robson argues that education, training, skills, and lifelong learning are central to both personal opportunity and wider economic resilience in the UK. It frames learning as a private and public good, explaining how alignment between skills supply and labour demand supports productivity and growth amid labour-market instability. The paper highlights agility as workers face frequent job and career changes driven by technology, climate transition, and evolving skills needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Learning as a private good and public good

Skills supply and labour market demand

Agility, technology, and climate change

‘The Skills Revolution– can lifelong learning save the UK economy?’ SKOPE Working Paper Dr James Robson November 16th 2023 This paper was presented at an event, ‘The Skills Revolu7on: can lifelong learning save the UK economy?’, jointly organised by NEON, Ruskin College, The University of West London, and CEILUP (Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up). It was held on 16th November, 2023 in Exeter College Oxford. The speakers were: Professor Peter John (Vice Chancellor of West London and Principle of Ruskin College); Professor Rick Trainor (Rector of Exeter College, Oxford); Professor Jonathan Michie (President of Kellogg College and Chair of the University Associa7on of Lifelong Learning); Lord David Blunke](ex-Secretary of State for Educa7on and Chair of the Council of Labour Skills Advisors); Professor Graeme Atherton (Head of the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up, University of West London); Nimmi Patel (Head of Skills, Talent and Diversity, TechUK); Professor James Robson (Associate Professor of Ter7ary Educa7on Systems and Director of the Centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisa7onal Performance, Oxford University). Introduc)on I strongly agree with everything Lord Blunke9 and other colleagues have said. There is an urgent need to rethink and reform our skills system and develop an approach to educa@on and training that genuinely oﬀers learning opportuni@es from the cradle to the grave. It probably comes as no surprise, given that I’m based in a department of educa@on and direct a centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisa@onal Performance, that I fully agree that educa@on and training, skills, and lifelong learning underpin robust and resilient economies and socie@es. Knowledge and skills really ma9er and ensuring there are meaningful opportuni@es for people to reskill, upskill, and engage in learning over the course of their careers and lives must be a fundamental policy priority. A key part to this is emphasising that learning is both a private and public good. As a private good, educa@on and training can be a key mechanism by which individuals progress both economically and socially, providing real opportuni@es for social mobility. It is the way in which many individuals achieve their aspira@ons and make progress in their careers and it provides real salary returns. Moreover, engaging in lifelong learning is cri@cal in empowering individuals to navigate the labour market with agency so they can engage in meaningful, purposeful work and lead fulﬁlling lives. Knowledge and skills are the tools we use to craL our own futures, improve our opportuni@es, and embed purpose into our existence. But educa@on and training is also a public good and learning has profound mul@plier and spill over eﬀects in both the economy and society. As we’ve heard, geNng the alignment between skills supply and labour market demand right and ensuring the workforce is skilled and adaptable to change has been empirically shown to be a key part of increasing produc@vity and driving economic growth. The labour market is increasingly unstable and uncertain and individuals will move between jobs and change careers mul@ple @mes over the course of their lives. Lifelong learning is an essen@al part of ensuring workers con@nue to develop their own skills and that the skills of the workforce as a whole change in line with the demands of the labour market, reducing skills shortages and gaps, and suppor@ng produc@vity. Importantly a learning workforce is a resilient workforce that’s be9er able to cope with a wide range of poten@al shocks and disrup@ons and adapt to change in an agile manner. Now this issue of agility is inevitably going to become more and more pronounced. The structure of the jobs market has become increasingly unstable and driven by precarity and churn, making con@nued professional development, upskilling, and reskilling an ongoing necessity. But, perhaps more importantly, the nature of work, both in terms of occupa

FAQs

What is the core argument of the paper?

The paper argues that lifelong learning is crucial for both individual social and economic progress and for strengthening the UK economy and society. It links skills systems to productivity, growth, and resilience under change.

Why does the paper emphasize learning as both private and public good?

Education and training help individuals progress economically and socially and support social mobility. At the same time, learning produces wider multiplier and spillover effects that improve economic and social outcomes.

What drives the need for agility in the workforce?

The paper points to increasing job-market instability and churn, alongside rapid changes in the nature of work. It identifies technology (including automation and AI) and climate change as major forces shaping new tasks and skills demands.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James