What is the UK's skills gap and how can we fix it to make society fairer?

Aly Coleman, a researcher doing her PhD at the UCL Institute of Education, wrote a report, "Routes to Opportunity -addressing the non-university skills gap“. The findings of the report indicate that those who would benefit the most from upskilling or retraining, such as low paid workers in unskilled jobs (the so-called “missing middle”), are often unable to do so because insufficient opportunities and funding are available. Even where support and funding is available, such as advanced learner loans, many potential learners are unaware of it.

The report was launched in UCL's Institute of Education (IoE) at a reception in December 2017, with speakers including the IoE Director Professor Becky Francis and Sir Vince Cable MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats.

This project has been supported by the UCL Grand Challenges. At the Grand Challenges Showcase at UCL in April 2018, we asked Aly what led to her research and what impact it has had so far.