WHAT WE DO
Independent research and advice shaping policy on the labour market, workforce, skills and education
We help government, industry, employers and educators understand how work and skills needs are changing – and turn that evidence into policies, strategies, programmes and investment that work in practice.
Evidence into action, across the whole policy cycle
Work Advance is an independent research and advisory practice. Our vision is a more inclusive labour market and a future-ready skills system, built on evidence of what works.
We diagnose the challenge, build the evidence, co-design solutions with the people who will deliver them, and evaluate what works – combining decades of policy and delivery experience, including from within government, with international best practice.
Shaped by our clients' needs, our work ranges from in-depth research to quick-turnaround insight, and events that bring people together to share ideas and learn from one another.
Our Capabilities
Local and regional labour market and skills assessments
Providing the evidence places need to plan for jobs and skills
Sector skills audits, forecasts and strategies
Understanding workforce needs and shaping learning pathways into critical jobs
National and international skills system reviews
Strengthening how skills systems are governed and run
Good work, inclusion and social mobility
Widening access to good jobs and progression
Productivity, management and the future of work
Supporting workplace innovation and responsible business
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Our Capabilities
Local and regional labour market and skills assessments
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We build the evidence that places need to plan for jobs and skills. We map current and future demand for workers and skills, analyse the supply of skills and the learning pathways into key jobs, and pinpoint the gaps. We then work with local partners to agree priorities and actions. Our work covers city and regional economies, their growth sectors, and the jobs and skills linked to major regeneration and development schemes.
Mayor of London
Workforce integration and inclusion in London's growth sectors
Skills needs and pathways into good jobs across five priority sectors, with programmes to widen access and progression.
Informed London's Economic Recovery Plan, the Academies Programme and the Workforce Integration Network.
Ashford Borough Council
The Ashford Ambition
A labour market and skills assessment, with jobs and skills forecasts to 2040 tested with nearly 100 stakeholders.
Informed the council's Corporate Plan, Economic Development Strategy and Local Plan.
Homes England
Skills challenges and opportunities at Northstowe
Occupational demand for the new town, provision mapping, and options to strengthen skills pipelines and invest in skills capital.
Informed active employment and skills policy at Northstowe and shaped local education provision.
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Sector skills audits, forecasts and strategies
We help industries understand their workforce: the skills they need now and in future, where shortages and gaps lie, and how well education and training meet demand. We combine the main sources of labour market intelligence with employer surveys, foresight methods and stakeholder engagement. We then work with industry leaders and government to turn the findings into skills strategies, action plans and investment programmes. Our work spans a wide range of sectors, from tech and the creative industries to energy, life sciences and healthcare, construction and manufacturing.
DCMS and the Creative Industries Council
Creative Industries Skills Audits 2026
A sector-wide assessment of skills shortages and gaps, priority occupations and future skills needs across the creative industries.
Informed Skills England's Skills Assessments and the sector's Jobs Plan.
City of London Corporation
Skills for a Sustainable Skyline
A rapid evidence assessment of the construction and retrofit skills needed to decarbonise commercial buildings in the Square Mile.
Informed priorities for the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce to support net zero by 2040.
Energy Skills Alliance
Energy Skills Demand Forecasting Model
Scoped and designed a single, industry-wide model to forecast skills demand across the UK energy sector.
Covering oil and gas, nuclear, renewables and hydrogen on the path to net zero.
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National and international skills system reviews
We advise governments and international organisations on how skills systems are governed, funded and coordinated. Drawing on experience from within government and on international comparison, we examine how institutions, incentives and partnerships can be strengthened. The aim is skills systems that respond quickly to economic and social change and serve learners and employers well.
Association of Colleges
Strengthening governance of the English post-16 skills system
How England's post-16 skills system sets priorities, incentives and quality standards, drawing on international evidence.
A blueprint for a new national skills body.
OECD and European Commission
Strengthening governance of the Swedish skills system
Led the OECD review's strand on skills data infrastructure, showing how data could be better connected.
Detailed recommendations and an implementation roadmap.
OECD · with Flanders, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Giving informal learning the recognition it deserves
A shared definition, typology and measurement framework for skills gained through work, everyday life and self-directed study.
Recommendations to embed informal learning in lifelong learning policy.
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Good work, inclusion and social mobility
We research how to widen access to good jobs and help people progress once they are in work. Our work examines job quality, in-work poverty, inequality and social mobility, and the part employers, industries and places can play. We often convene employers and practitioners to co-design practical responses and test what works.
Creative PEC and DCMS
Good Work Review
An independent review of job quality across the UK's creative industries, drawing on more than 120 stakeholders across the four nations.
Informed the Creative Industries Council and DCMS Good Work Review Action Plan
Mission 44
Improving young people's access and progression in Film, TV and Games
Pathways into 'good' careers in screen and games, the barriers underserved young people face, and the existing landscape of support.
Recommendations for enhancing access and progression through joined-up 'pathways of support'.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Improving fringe benefit schemes for low earners
How employee ‘fringe’ benefits can help ease in-work poverty in low wages sectors, including retail, hospitality and social care.
A good practice framework and toolkit for employers.
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Productivity, management and the future of work
We examine how management, workplace practice and technology shape productivity and the quality of work. We also look at what technological, demographic and industrial change means for jobs and skills. We help businesses and policymakers understand the evidence and find practical ways to raise performance.
Creative PEC
Management Practices in the Creative Industries
Analysis of three national business surveys on management practices and business performance in the creative industries.
Recommendations to raise management capability across the sector.
OECD and Irish Government
OECD Skills Strategy for Ireland
Led the review's priority on leveraging skills to drive innovation and strengthen the performance of Irish firms.
Recommendations on skills for innovation, management development and high-performance workplace practices.
Be the Business
Raising UK competitiveness
A national survey of 1,400 SMEs and research with 30+ firms on how smaller businesses approach productivity.
Identified 'purposeful improvers' and how to help more firms become competitive.
How we do it
Every project draws on a mix of methods, chosen to fit the question.
Labour Market Intelligence
Drawing on official statistics, employer and learner data, and the latest skills frameworks to map demand, supply and gaps.
Forecasting and foresight
Combining economic, occupational and skills forecasting with foresight methods that explore global megatrends and alternative futures.
Provision and pathway mapping
Mapping academic and vocational education and the pathways into key jobs, to better align skills provision with employer needs.
Primary research
Generating new evidence through surveys, interviews and focus groups with young people, workers, employers and practitioners.
Evidence reviews
Synthesising academic research, grey literature and evaluation evidence to draw out key themes, identify gaps and shape future research.
Policy reviews
Analysing the strategic context and reviewing policies and programmes, in the UK and internationally, to identify what works.
Engagement and co-design
Bringing stakeholders together to review the evidence, build consensus and co-design strategies, policies and programmes.
Monitoring and evaluation
Developing theories of change and measurement frameworks; monitoring results, evaluating impact and lessons learned.
Planning a skills or workforce study?
See more of our work on the Projects page, or get in touch to talk through your brief.