Future Skills in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: Networks, Knowledge, and Accessibility

Authors: Lucie Akerman and Joanie Willett

          
        Key points
        
          To understand how to improve workforce and skills in Cornwall, we need to understand the connections between different parts of the skills ecosystem.
Reliable transport and sufficient personal resources are very important in an individuals ability to successfully pursue a career.
Networks play a vital role in our labour market, and are extremely important for finding good work. We need to find ways of making relevant industry networks more visible and accessible to all.

Summary

This report explores the skills landscape in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (CIoS), investigating the factors that shape access to employment and training opportunities in the region. While skills gaps and recruitment challenges are well-documented, this research moves beyond traditional supply-side explanations, offering a more holistic view informed by complexity theory and systems thinking. Drawing on a combination of desk-based research and 32 in-depth interviews with workers, employers, educators, and policymakers, we examine how individuals navigate the local labour market.

We find that that structural challenges—such as geographic isolation, the prevalence of small enterprises, housing pressures, and transport limitations—intersect with skills development and employment accessibility in critical ways. These barriers cannot be understood purely through the lens of skills provision, but must be seen as part of a wider ecosystem that shapes opportunity, mobility, and career progression.

Personal and professional networks play a critical role in securing employment in CIoS. 80% of interviewees reported that at least one significant employment opportunity arose through a connection rather than formal recruitment. While networks provide essential routes into work, they also risk reinforcing exclusion and narrowing access, as opportunities and information often circulate within closed groups. For those embedded within well-aligned networks, career progression was easier to achieve, while those without such connections often faced persistent barriers, even when formally qualified.

Future Skills in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly full report