Talent & skills

Home to the most skilled workforce of any English core city region.

We have a world-leading talent pool

With a higher-than-average employment rate, the region is one of the most desirable places to live in the UK. We continue to attract talent from London, with 80 people per week re-locating to Bristol and Bath (Office of National Statistics).

Home to 1.1 million, with over 91 languages spoken, Bristol & Bath boasts over 45,000 businesses.

We have a global-first approach and a reputation for innovation, and our region contributes £33 billion to the UK economy. Businesses can maximise their potential, grow and develop by investing in Bristol & Bath.

From established to emerging sectors, our business ecosystem can help your business thrive. Our range of sectors include aerospace and advanced engineering to Fintech, creative and digital.

We're top of the class

10,000 graduates a year
4 world class universities
86,000 undergrads & postgrads in the region
75 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted
Bath ranked one of the top 10 FE colleges in England
600 primary & secondary schools

We have a strong talent pipeline

Our region has a highly-skilled workforce, with 10,000 graduates from our four top universities joining the talent pool each year. UWE Bristol ranked joint second in England for student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2020). The University of Bristol is developing a new £300 million innovation and enterprise campus. A further 14,000 students graduate each year from the six universities within a one-hour journey of Bristol & Bath.

Investing in our region’s talent

£ 100 m business & skills investment

£ 14.7 m adult education

Our region is committed to investing in apprenticeships and skills development to ensure that our home-grown talent can contribute to our vibrant business economy. Training providers such as TechTalent Academy are committed to teaching practical skills. All of their cohorts to date are from under-represented groups.

Fuelling the next generation of creative talent

The iO Academy is a 16-week, full-time, full-stack coding bootcamp with a 100% graduation rate, equipping our residents with the tools and skills they need to join the workforce. Boomsatsuma offers a range of college and degree courses in creative fields. By creating learning opportunities in gaming, post-production, sports media, VFX and VR, the region is focussing on the future.

We're here to support you

As part of Invest Bristol & Bath’s bespoke offering, we support businesses in accessing the right talent. Through trusted partnerships with our local universities, colleges, schools and training providers, businesses can develop a future talent pipeline in order to thrive.

Our team will support businesses with salary benchmarking and jobs boards to attract the right talent.

What we offer