New Edge Bulletin Tackles UK’s Skills Divide with Lessons from Formula 1

This week the Edge Foundation publishes its sixteenth Skills Shortage Bulletin, focusing on geographic and demographic inequalities in education and skills access across the UK. The latest bulletin is accompanied by a special Formula 1 supplement which explores the root causes of entrenched disparities and highlights innovative industry responses, with lessons from one of the world’s most high-performance sectors.

New analysis from the Learning and Work Institute reveals stark contrasts in qualification levels between regions, with 64% of people in London holding high-level qualifications compared to just 34% in Greater Lincolnshire deepening labour market imbalances and hampering economic growth. As the Government prepares its Industrial Strategy White Paper, this collection of research from partners underscores the urgent need for targeted and coordinated action from employers, educators, and policy-makers to address these disparities.

“Skills shortages in the UK are not just a challenge, they’re a risk to economic resilience, innovation, and fairness,” said Alice Gardner, CEO Edge Foundation. “This bulletin shows that where you live, and your background still heavily determine your access to opportunity.”

In the bulletin the OECD highlight the growing importance of lifelong learning, forward-looking policy, and the need for better alignment between skills demand and supply. Edinburgh College warn that policy reversals, such as the withdrawal of Scotland’s Flexible Workforce Development Fund, risk undermining progress.

The accompanying Formula 1 Skills Shortages Supplement explores how Red Bull Powertrains, Mission 44, and Milton Keynes College Group are working to diversify talent pipelines and engage underrepresented groups in the world of elite motorsport, offering valuable blueprints for inclusive, industry-led change.

“We don’t dwell on failures. We accept that if you fire off enough ideas, not all are going to hit the target,” said Owen Carless, Head of Mechanical Simulation at Red Bull Powertrains. “One of the things that has always stuck in my mind is people saying, ‘That’s not a career for me’, or even worse, ‘for people like me’.

This edition features insights from the Learning and Work Institute, OECD, Lifelong Education Institute and City & Guilds, High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Engineering UK, and the Careers and Enterprise Company, University of Exeter and Edinburgh College highlighting the systemic barriers to progress and the necessity for better resourcing, regional planning, and industry-education collaboration.

With the rise of regional bodies like Skills England and Medr, and increased focus on the UK’s Growth Mission, Skills Shortage Bulletin 16 offers timely evidence and examples for shaping more equitable, future-proof skills strategies.