New strategy to help Sunderland residents gain skills, find work and boost earnings

The Sunderland Adult Skills and Employment Strategy 2026-2030 is the city's first dedicated adult skills and employment plan and has been developed collaboratively by partners from across education, employment, business and public services.

The four-year blueprint will help more people access training, gain qualifications, find work, progress in their careers and increase their earnings, following approval by the City Council's Cabinet. It will also help employers access the skills they need to grow and create new job opportunities across the city.

By focusing on helping more people into work and supporting residents to gain new qualifications and skills, the strategy will ensure that the training opportunities available will match the skills needed by employers in Sunderland's growing industries.

The strategy has been developed by Sunderland's Skills, Progression and Employment Board, bringing together partners from education, skills, employment, business and public services to create a shared vision for improving skills and employment outcomes across the city.

Board members and partners, including the City Skills Provider Network, employer representative bodies, Education Partnership North East, Sunderland City Council and the Department for Work and Pensions, have worked together to shape the strategy's priorities and delivery.

The new strategy is supported by detailed research identifying the key opportunities and challenges facing people, communities and businesses in Sunderland. It comes at a time when employers are looking for more job-ready candidates and higher-level skills, while many residents continue to face barriers to entering or progressing in work.

It builds on an existing programme of adult learning across the city. During the 2024/25 academic year, Sunderland City Council's Learning, Skills and Employability Service delivered 1,966 learning events through Adult Skills Funding, demonstrating the scale of demand for skills and training opportunities.

Councillor Carol Giles, Sunderland City Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Social Mobility, said: "We want Sunderland residents to have opportunities to improve their skills and get into good, well-paid jobs, and help businesses to thrive by upskilling their workforces.

"By bringing together providers, employers and public services, we can create a more joined-up system that helps people develop skills, overcome barriers and progress into good-quality employment.

"This includes aligning our training opportunities with job opportunities, health support and wider services to tackle the barriers that often prevent our residents from getting into and staying in work.

"Through connecting people to opportunities, we can help strengthen communities, support businesses and ensure the benefits of economic growth are felt across the city."

Following Cabinet approval, next steps will see the development of an annual delivery plan to ensure the strategy's priorities are translated into measurable actions and outcomes.