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Skills & Talent
Croydon gives employers access to 1.5 million workers within a 45-minute commute, drawn from London’s most populous borough and the wider South East.
A Borough Built on Talent
A Young, Skilled Workforce
The borough has more than 400,000 residents. Two-thirds are of working age and 20% are under 16, making Croydon one of London’s youngest populations.
50% of residents hold a Level 4 qualification or above, equivalent to a professional diploma or undergraduate degree, with a further 14% holding a Level 3 qualification. Apprenticeship uptake at the highest levels is growing.
Investing in the Next Generation
Education
Infrastructure
The borough supports nearly 80,000 young people across 23 state secondary schools serving more than 23,000 students, including 13 academy schools, five community schools, three faith schools and two free schools.
Investment continues at pace: Royal Russell School is expanding with a new NatWest-funded facility for 400 pupils, and Trinity School is extending its co-educational provision ahead of a fully co-educational intake from September 2027.
£9 Million And Growing
Employer Partnerships & Lifelong Learning
Croydon’s anchor institutions are closely aligned with employer needs: London South Bank University’s Croydon campus provides pathways into health and business careers, while a University of Roehampton and Croydon College partnership delivers degrees in nursing and creative industries.
Major employers already draw from this talent base.
London Gatwick is actively recruiting locally through an economic charter with the council covering job creation, apprenticeships and graduate programmes. CALAT delivers more than 1,000 part-time courses to over 20,000 people every year for those looking to retrain or upskill.
