Social impact must be built into the business of skills

As the UK faces mounting pressure to tackle inequality and improve social mobility,  a fundamental question is emerging: how should institutions that define skills – such as City & Guilds – be shaped for the future, and what responsibilities should guide them?

This question came into focus at the recent World Negotiations Tournament, organised by the Athens University of Economics and Business and supported by PeopleCert for the eighth consecutive year. At the centre of the event was a scenario to explore how established not-for-profit skills organisations pursue their long-term mission whilst under financial pressure.

Participants, the next generation of leaders, from 20 universities across 16 countries took part, including Durham University, UCLouvain, Mannheim Business School, BI Norwegian Business School, the American University Washington College of Law, Swansea University, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, and the University of Cyprus.

In the live scenario, the key question posed was how a commercial skills business worth in the region of £200 million can also deliver £15 million of social impact over five years credibly, at scale, and with measurable outcomes.

While hypothetical, the scenario reflects a real shift across the sector. The challenge is no longer to balance financial sustainability with social purpose, but to integrate the two, so that impact is not conditional, but delivered.

The trade-offs were clear. Different approaches prioritised different groups and geographies: NEETs, economically declining regions and less developed areas across the UK, workers displaced by AI, neurodivergent adults, refugees, and prison leavers, alongside the preservation and modernisation of heritage skills.

The choices ahead

Should funding prioritise AI and digital skills to future-proof the workforce? Or skilled trades, infrastructure, and the green economy, where shortages already constrain growth? Or immediate pressures in health and social care?

There was no single answer. But there was a pattern.

The strongest strategies treated the social impact fund not as an obligation, but as a lever, aligned with labour market demand, designed for scale, and measured with discipline.

Across teams from 20 universities in 16 countries, a consistent pattern emerged: impact must be measurable, scalable, and anchored in real workforce needs.

Within that context, the winning proposal from Swansea University, by Cara Di Teodoro, Maddie Matthews, and Emily Law, stood out: inclusion, combined with execution. It showed how targeted interventions can scale without losing impact, setting the standard and showing the way.

The real test

This points to the real test for the future of skills.

Impact at scale does not come from isolated initiatives or short-term commitments.

It requires systems, resources, and sustained execution, linking education directly to employment outcomes.

In a world where commercial value can be matched, advantage will come from the ability to deliver impact-credibly, measurably, and at scale. Meeting that standard requires organisations that can operate across markets, align with employer needs, and deliver consistently, while balancing social purpose with economic relevance.

Operating in more than 200 countries, PeopleCert sits at that intersection. As a house of brands-including ITIL, PRINCE2, LanguageCert, and City & Guilds, our role is to go beyond skills delivery and help define the standards by which they are recognised globally.

In doing so, it supports the UK’s skills agenda and reform efforts-advancing measurable social impact, preserving and modernising heritage skills, and expanding access for underprivileged groups-while helping build a more competitive modern Britain aligned with real labour market needs.