A public-private approach to tackling the skills gap at the heart of economic growth

13th August 2026

REDA recently launched the Reading Economic Development Framework which looks ahead over the next decade at how we can drive economic growth locally. At the heart of the Framework is the need for an effective partnership between the private and public sectors, which mirrors REDA’s own make-up as a body that straddles both worlds. REDA’s Board represents both public bodies and private businesses in order to deliver sustainable growth for the Greater Reading area.

Two key challenges identified in the report and which require a public-private partnership approach are labour market imbalances and inequalities. For Reading businesses, the wider skills agenda remains central to productivity, innovation and long-term competitiveness. Employers across the Reading area continue to report challenges in recruiting people with the right technical, digital, leadership and specialist occupational skills needed to support growth in the key sectors of digital technology, professional services, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

The Berkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) has identified workforce shortages, an ageing labour market and rapid technological change as priority issues requiring stronger collaboration between employers and education providers. The LSIP provides the employer-led framework for aligning training provision with business demand by providing businesses with a channel to influence skills funding programmes.

The Get Berkshire Working Plan highlights skills mismatches, youth employment and workforce participation as key challenges. REDA’s Reading Economic Development Framework itself places inclusivity at the heart of the skills agenda through upskilling the local workforce and reducing inequalities in skills and employment opportunities for Reading residents. Reading’s Employment and Skills Plans programme, managed by REDA, continues to use property development-led private sector investment to create pathways into employment, apprenticeships and training for local residents. Over the last two years, REDA has supported 452 construction jobs and 45 apprenticeships for Reading residents working in partnership with developments such as Station Hill and Huntley Wharf.

Identifying the issues and providing a framework for a future, suitably-skilled workforce pipeline is led by the public sector but directed by the private sector. However, ultimately, businesses know that if they want to recruit the best people with the right skills for their needs, they are going to have to do much of the heavy-lifting themselves - engaging with schools, colleges, universities and training providers, providing their own in-house training programmes to meet their own business needs and playing their part in addressing the wider structural employment issues that face our economy. REDA is well-connected however and can support businesses to engage with training providers and schools. 

A skills system that is responsive, inclusive and business-led will be critical if Reading is to maintain its position as one of the UK’s most dynamic economic centres.  We all have to operate within the constraints of our own remits and capacities, but we don’t need to limit our ambition to address thorny issues when we can work together across the public-private divide. Together, we will be more effective and ensure that local skills training and support with recruiting matches the local business need and helps drive Reading’s economic performance.

Mark Pearson, Head of Economic Development, REDA