With Oxford Economics, we are forecasting the jobs and skills the London Cancer District will need across construction, life sciences and healthcare, and how local people can be equipped to fill them.
The South London Partnership has commissioned Oxford Economics and Work Advance to assess the jobs and skills the London Cancer District will create. The District, in Sutton, is a major new life sciences cluster for cancer research and treatment. The study will help the partnership maximise local employment, meet employers' needs and attract talent.
We are forecasting employment across the District's construction phase, early operation and longer term, including jobs supported through supply chains and spending. Oxford Economics' impact model converts the development plans into jobs by sector, which we break down by occupation and skill level. We are then profiling in-demand roles in detail: the skills and qualifications they need, the career pathways into them, and current shortages.
Alongside this, we are mapping education and training provision across South London, from schools and colleges to universities, apprenticeships and bootcamps. We are tracing the routes people take into key jobs to identify gaps.
An employer survey, in-depth interviews and a large-scale workshop bring together employers, contractors, education providers, other life sciences clusters and the GLA to test findings and co-design solutions.
The study will set out prioritised recommendations and the case for investment in skills. It will help the partnership secure funding, shape the education offer at the District and create clear pathways into good jobs for local residents.
London Cancer District: Jobs, skills needs and learning pathways
South London Partnership, 2026-2027 (Ongoing)
Heather Carey and Atif Shafique, Work Advance
Tim Lyne and Huge Bessis, Oxford Economics
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