Develop Croydon supported London South Bank University’s Future Skills Croydon summit in February, bringing together employers, educators and industry leaders to tackle the built environment skills gap head-on.

The event, attended by LSBU Vice Chancellor Paul Kett and Executive Mayor Jason Perry, focused on building the engineering and construction workforce pipeline needed to deliver Croydon’s ambitious development programme over the next decade. A scene-setting panel revealed that built environment professions contribute 24% of Great Britain’s total GVA and employ 3.8 million people nationally, underscoring the economic stakes of getting skills provision right.

Representatives from Croydon College, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, London Gatwick and others then joined a practical workshop to identify concrete actions for the next six months.