Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning - XP Launch Event - Delegate Pack

@XPcambs
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region
of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
XP Employer Launch Event
PwC
The Maurice Wilkes Building
St John's Innovation Park
Cambridge
5 July 2022
xpcambs.co.uk

Contents
@XPcambs
WELCOME
AGENDA
ABOUT
SPOTLIGHT: REGION OF LEARNING EMPLOYER PATHWAYS
PwC: Closing the social mobility gap through a common skills language
Costello Medical: Nurturing the supply of eligible candidates to vacancy hot spots
Cambridge Wireless: Boosting digital skills and supporting the technology talent pipeline
Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Improving recruitment diversity and awareness
Marshall Skills Academy: Plugging skills gaps and reducing candidate shortages
Sookio: Developing routes into the creative sector
KPMG: Driving a skills led, not job description led, approach to more agile recruitment
Cambridge City Council: Supporting young people’s entry, progression and succession routes, and
professional growth
CALL TO ACTION
Why join us
How to join us
What is the process
How much does it cost
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
MEET THE TEAM
THANK YOU
LET’S CONNECT
Scan the QR code to let us know you’d like to connect and grow skills!
XP and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region
of Learning, Skills and Opportunity

Welcome
@XPcambs
A very warm welcome to the inaugural Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity launch event for
Cambridgeshire based employers and businesses, by Cambridge City
Council and our host and event sponsor, PwC.
The Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity approach was borne out of
a real-world need to address issues effecting people’s learning and career
prospects, and to improve general life chances. Covid has done more than
disrupt normal work patterns and access to education. It has accelerated
the impact of automation, further reduced social mobility, created
irreversible changes to the labour market, expediated the need to upskill or reskill, and raised our awareness
of systemic skills inequalities for those who face barriers to learning or work.
Enter XP, the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity’s ground-breaking digital platform and
integrated smart card.
Through XP, we’re committed to ensuring people have future skills for future jobs. XP will record and
recognise skills, competencies, talents and experience that people and employers need, capture what individuals
achieve and accomplish both outside and inside of formally accredited qualifications, motivate learning and
ambition through digital badges and a digital CV, and dynamically connect people to training and work-
related opportunities. Taking a 21st century approach to real time acknowledgement of learning and skills
acquisition, XP provides a range of cutting-edge technology, features, functions and data insights.
While the XP platform will be available to all, it will also target specific groups, including young people, and
those who are from less advantaged backgrounds or are furthest from the labour market. It builds on the
nationally recognised success of our XP pilot, and the award-winning Cities of Learning model; to create
something truly innovative for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that other cities around the country are set to
adopt.
Through a series of lightening talks, at this event you will
hear first-hand from some of the local employers who are
embracing this vital initiative as ‘early adopters’ of
digital badging to develop inclusive career pathways into
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s growth sectors. This
delegate pack includes just some of the examples of what
digital pathways can help you achieve, from increasing the
supply of skilled candidates to your business, to thinking
outside the box with more creative approaches to
recruitment and workforce development, or building
talent pipelines to your sector.
However, this is more than just a launch event, it is a call to action. To have real
impact, we need all businesses and employers to join us, and take a collective and shared
approach to resolving our local skills shortages and recruitment needs. If you are reading this,
then you are already a potential XP employer supporter, champion, or trailblazer.
Oh, and our pledge to you - if you have a recruitment or skills gap issue, we will
work alongside you to provide a positive solution through the XP and the Region of
Learning, Skills and Opportunity approach.

Agenda
@XPcambs
5.30 – 6.00pm Delegates arrive, refreshments and networking
6.00 – 6.45pm Welcome address
Simon de Young, Cambridge Senior Partner, PwC
Introduction to the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
Robert Pollock, Chief Executive, Cambridge City Council
Pathways to address vacancy hot spots
Sophie Costello, Director and CEO, Costello Medical
The Cities of Learning national movement: successes so far
Rachel Carter, Strategic Lead, Learning, Skills and Enterprise, and Deana Ward, Head
of Development, Learning Skills and Enterprise, Future Creators
Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity: taking a skills, not job
description led approach to recruitment
Mark Essex, Director of Skills, KPMG
Pathways to supporting our young people into employment
Cllr Alice Gilderdale, Executive Councillor for Recovery, Employment and Community
Safety, Cambridge City Council
XP digital platform
Michelle Lord, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity Manager, Cambridge City Council and Mark Riches, Product Director,
Navigatr Limited
Employer call to action and closing remarks
6.45 – 7.30pm Networking, food, and refreshments
7.30pm Event close and guests depart

About
MISSION
XP and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity aims to
develop a coalition of local employers, learning and training
providers, wellbeing services, voluntary and third sector organisations, to
work together to improve outcomes for all people, with a focus on enabling
previously excluded and marginalised young people to participate in valued learning
opportunities which provide access to exciting career opportunities and pathways by:
▪ Signposting and promoting participation in learning to develop new or existing skills, support
upskilling and reskilling, and automatically connect those skills to real world work-related
opportunities
▪ Capturing and evidencing people’s skills and experience through digital badges using employer
skills language
▪ Dynamically matching the skills employers need to local learning, education or training
opportunities through digital pathways
▪ Connecting people to a fully integrated skills and employment eco-system
XP BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYERS
All employers and businesses are encouraged to join us and pledge to
improve people’s employability and access to career opportunities. The
benefits of joining us include:
▪ XP empowers employers to better identify young people’s talents
and skills, and match them to their business needs
▪ XP enables employers to enhance their recruitment process and
support diversity and inclusivity, simply and easily
▪ XP provides structure and measurability of employee skills and for
training and development
▪ XP welcomes employers to a community working together to
encourage ambition and resilience, and open up career opportunities for
all people across the region
XP DIGITAL PLATFORM & SMART CARD –
PLATFORM LAUNCHING SUMMER 2022
XP is the digital platform created by the Region of Learning, Skills and
Opporunity to connect people to learning providers, organisations, services,
and employers in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. It enables people to
explore, engage, and articulate their skills and learning experiences to opportunity providers through
digital badges and pathways. To address the digital divide, the platform will also integrate with an
updated, repurposed library card that can be used at any destination to record participation.
Together, they provide individuals with a smart, universal passport to learning, skills and opportunity.

WHAT IS A DIGITAL BADGE?
Digital badges recognise what individuals achieve and accomplish both inside and outside of
formally accredited qualifications. They motivate learning and ambition and connect people to
training and work-related opportunities. Digital badging is a proven way of enabling people to
showcase and articulate more than their qualifications and provides a way for them to demonstrate
to employers their skills, competencies, interests, experience and talents that formal
education doesn’t recognise.
A digital badge bridges the gap between
how employers define skills and how
people understand and evidence
them. Every digital badge is constructed
with meta-data outlining the skills an
individual has developed when undertaking
a particular activity. Badges are then
easily shareable and compatible with
all major platforms searched by
employers and educators, such
as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. They
can also be added directly to personal
websites, blogs and digital CVs, and are
instantly accessible through the XP app.
WHAT IS A SKILLS TAG?
Skills tags are an essential ingredient in a digital badge that enables the dynamic connection
between skills the employer advertises they are looking for in a job advert, and those
that an applicant can demonstrate. A skills tag can be a specialised or ‘hard’ skill, a transferable
or life skill, and a certified skill. XP is the first platform to embed the Lightcast skills taxonomy, an
open-source library of skills based on millions of job postings, that can be embedded within digital
badges and pathways.
WHAT IS A DIGITAL PATHWAY?
A pathway is made up of a series of digital badges, that represent a journey with an end
destination. This could be a work-related pathway that leads to work experience, an internship,
an apprenticeship, or a job; a learning or education pathway that leads to a course, workshop,
formal or informal learning; or a wellbeing, interest or self-development pathway.
Pathways can be defined or curated by organisations or employers, for example with a determined
set of digital badges, or can be iterative, where the XP platform intelligently
identifies which badges have the right skills tags to complete a journey, by filling in
the steps. Alternatively, pathways can be constructed by individuals by selecting
existing digital badges.

Many pathways to the same opportunity
enhance recruitment by recognising that
learning happens everywhere and brings
diverse talent to your organisation.
By joining up badges from across
the region into pathways, and
making all learning visible, measurable
and connected, the skills eco-system is
made richer and agile.
WHO ARE WE WORKING WITH?
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity is working with a
wide variety of learning providers, education, careers and training providers, employers,
entrepreneurs, business networks, third sector organisations, voluntary groups, technical partners,
and local authority teams and wellbeing services; with a common purpose of improving people’s
skills and life chances, particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds.
Over time, individuals will have a visual portfolio of all the different skills they’ve gained, and
where and how they acquired them, all explained in employer-friendly language. This not only
supports individuals in their growth and development, but also employers, helping to ensure they have
applicants equipped with the skills they need.
The XP app brings digital badges and pathways to life, so individuals can easily discover the
opportunities that a place offers; create and view their portfolio of digital badges; and follow
personalised learning pathways. Pathways are important because they:
INDIVIDUALS
LEARNING
PROVIDERS
EMPLOYERS
OTHER
PROVIDERS
Connect
Pathways connect employers with
the right people by unifying the
skills language used by employers,
learning providers and learners.
Enhance Grow Shape

PUTTING LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES ON THE MAP
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning,
Skills and Opportunity was first piloted between 2018-19 in
Cambridge and in the Fenland and East Cambridgeshire
Opportunity Area, with a focus on young people in Littleport
and Trumpington. We live prototyped the XP digital app
and card, to test our groundbreaking approaches to targeted
communication of learning opportunities and raise the
participation level of young people, communicating their
engagement back to them through a digital CV, and trialling the
use of digital badges and forms of gamification.
With a significant proof of concept and several national
firsts under our belt, we are now leading on the digital
innovation of the Cities of Learning app, that combines our
nationally recognised XP model and the The RSA award
winning Cities of Learning.
Working with partners The RSA, Navigatr and Badge Nation,
we are proud to be part of a wider national movement, taking
a 21st
century approach to skills recognition and empowering
people to pursue their career ambitions. Alongside
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, these include Brighton,
Plymouth, Belfast, Bradford, Tees Valley, and Southampton.

Defined pathway
Spotlight on PwC
Pathway focus: Closing the social mobility gap through a common skills
language
Growth sector: Professional Services – Financial and Legal
Employer status: Digital Badge Trailblazer
Pathway: New World, New Skills
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
PwC provides industry-focused services for public and private clients. As a major employer, PwC
believes it can play a positive role in increasing social mobility through its recruitment, development
and progression, community, and advocacy activities. PwC believes that we all have a collective
responsibility to ensure everyone has the fundamental skills they need to succeed, and in 2021, PwC
won the 'Leadership of the Year' category in the UK Social Mobility Awards.
CHALLENGE
Even before COVID-19, 70% of CEOs were concerned about the availability of key skills. The
pandemic has intensified this challenge, widening the regional skills gaps that already existed across the
UK and deepening inequalities. And this isn’t just about digital skills. There is a growing need for skills
that cannot be automated: creativity, judgement, and empathy, to name a few.
XP SOLUTION
Working with XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity, PwC will be mapping the knowledge,
skills, and experience that young people acquire through its early career opportunities, directly to the
labour market, using digital badges and a common skills language made available through the XP digital
platform. Using digital badges and skills ‘tags’ that connect directly to work opportunities, young
people will be able to maximise the benefits of engaging with PwC and, through XP, be able to
understand how the skills they learn with PwC can directly support their career journeys.
“Since our first meeting, PwC was an instant supporter of
the Region of Learning, recognising the genuine
commitment and potential of the programme to improve
social mobility for young people. PwC is excited to pilot
digital pathways to our early career offer and look forward
to supporting the Region of Learning and developing this
partnership further by working with local schools and
young people as well as convening businesses to support
this, within Cambridge and beyond.”

Iterative pathway
Spotlight on Costello Medical
Pathway focus: Nurturing the supply of eligible candidates to vacancy hot spots
Growth sector: Healthcare and Research
Pathway: Administrative Assistant entry level job opportunity
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
Costello Medical was founded in 2008 and is a rapidly growing global healthcare agency specialising in
medical communications, market access and health economic and outcomes research. They have been
listed in the Top 100 Companies to Work For list for five consecutive years and have recently
received their certification as a B Corporation and a force for good.
CHALLENGE
Costello Medical have several great entry level jobs, with continual recruitment, but struggle to find
sufficient numbers of high quality candidates to fill some of these roles. An example of this is their
Administrative Assistant role, for which labour market data tells us that there is an above average
number of companies recruiting for this occupation in the local area, making demand more likely to
outweigh supply.
XP SOLUTION
Using the Region of Learning approach to digital badging and pathways, we established the core skills
required, and developed a learning pathway to the Administrative Assistant role that would enable a
young person to build validated evidence of the skills required by the role. We created a Costello
Medical Administrative Assistant Applicant digital badge. To increase the supply of eligible candidates,
young people can actively work towards the Costello Medical badge using it as a destination, knowing
that they are gaining the relevant skills for the role, or alternatively, young people who might not be
aware of this as a career possibility but have the relevant skills to apply, will be signposted directly as a
possible career route.
“Costello Medical is proud to be working with Region
of Learning in the development of badges for some of
our entry-level career opportunities. We are excited to
connect with the talent pipeline in the local area and
raise awareness of our career opportunities as we
continue with our ambitious growth plans. As an
independently owned and managed company, we
enjoy the freedom to invest our resources into the
areas that matter to us most, and it has never been
more important to invest in the future of the workforce.”

Defined pathway
Spotlight on Cambridgeshire
Constabulary
Pathway focus: Improving recruitment diversity and applicant awareness
Growth sector: Law Enforcement and Security
Pathway: Police Constable Apprenticeship
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
Cambridgeshire Constabulary is proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and help
protect a population of more than 800,000 residents. It employs over 2,000 staff including 1,449
police officers, 60 PCSOs, 159 special constables, and 581 police staff.
CHALLENGE
The journey to becoming a Police Constable is a long process involving a variety of prerequisites and
procedures, which can be difficult to communicate. In addition, Cambridgeshire Constabulary is
seeking to greater diversify its workforce and attract applicants from a wider range of backgrounds.
XP SOLUTION
Working with the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity we created a bespoke pathway to
becoming Police Constable, where individuals are able to track their progress as they move through
the recruitment process, prepare for upcoming assessments thoroughly, and visualise their route to
successful employment with the Police. Through the XP digital platform, we will be able to positively
communicate this opportunity in a targeted way to diverse groups.
“Cambridgeshire Constabulary is proud to be a Region of
Learning, Skills and Opportunity Employer Trailblazer. We want to make our
entry routes as accessible as possible, and will work with the Region of
Learning to ensure we raise awareness of our opportunities with young people
who want a job that is going to make a real difference to their communities, but
might not have considered us as a career option before.”
Luke Coulson, Acting Inspector – People and Professionalism, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Spotlight on Cambridge Wireless
Pathway focus: Boosting digital skills and supporting the technology talent
pipeline
Growth sector: Technology
Pathway: CW Techsters
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
CW (Cambridge Wireless) is the leading
international community of over 1,000
technology companies involved in the research,
development and application of wireless
technology. The CW Techsters programme
was created by CW and Huawei, and is a
digital skills programme designed to promote
digital inclusion and diversity, attracting and
empowering young people (aged 16-22) with
the skills to thrive in the digital economy and
champion economic, social and environmental
change. This is enhanced by industry
networking and mentorship opportunities.
CW and Huawei aspire to close the digital divide
by providing young talent with opportunities to
learn about advanced technologies and apply their
learning in practical, problem-solving events.
CHALLENGE
The Tech sector is a significant contributor to
our local and UK economy and a stable
pipeline of talent is crucial for its continued
success. There is an urgent need for large
numbers of technical staff; diversity and
inclusion must underpin the training and
education system.
XP SOLUTION
The Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
is working with Cambridge Wireless to
connect young people who traditionally face
barriers to gaining digital skills or entry into the
tech sector, and linking the CW Techsters to
local job opportunities.
“Cambridge Wireless is thrilled to be a Region of Learning,
Skills and Opportunity early adopter and pilot digital
pathways with the CW Techsters programme. This will
enable us to directly reach more young people from diverse
backgrounds where they can demonstrate in demand skills
and connect to career opportunities in the Tech sector.”
Patricia Chan, Head of Business Development and Digital Skills Project Lead,
Cambridge Wireless
Defined pathway

Defined
pathway
Spotlight on Sookio
Pathway focus: Inspiring young people into the Creative Industries
Growth sector: Creative Industries
Pathway: Work Experience Applicant with Form the Future
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
Sookio is an established digital marketing agency based in Cambridge. It is genuinely committed to
creating opportunities to bring people into the industry and has worked with Form the Future to
mentor young people, speak in schools about careers in marketing, and provide work experience
opportunities.
CHALLENGE
The Creative Industries in Cambridgeshire is the ninth biggest hotspot in the country. Nationally
though, young people from low income or diverse backgrounds struggle to gain entry to this growth
sector, and are far less likely to develop creative skills than their more advantaged peers. This is
happening against a backdrop of an increased demand for skills linked to creativity which are more
resilient to automation, which risks distancing those young people further from these opportunities.
Working alongside Form the Future, Sookio would like to help address this imbalance by raising
visibility of opportunities into the sector and wants to trailblaze this new approach of digital pathways
for others in the Creative Industries to follow.
XP SOLUTION
The Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity is committed to raising awareness of creative career
opportunities and pathways, and is working with a large range of local creative and cultural learning
providers to develop a pipeline of local talent, which includes being the national pilot area for the
digital badging of Arts Award. The Creative Industries represent just over 10% of all businesses in
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, but creative jobs span multiple sectors including Manufacturing,
Information and Communication, Construction, Retail, Professional Services and Bioscience. Through
the XP platform, we will connect young people to creative jobs across Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough.
“We're delighted to be included
in the Region of Learning so we
can make sure that these
creative work experience
opportunities we've devised ourselves are part of a wider programme of
activities that will boost career opportunities for young people in the area.”
Sue Keogh, Director, Sookio

Pathway: Sookio Marketing Agency Work Experience
With support from Form the Future, upon completion of
the first pathway, a young person can embark on a pathway
to successfully completing a work experience placement at Sookio.
The digital badges below, illustrate their journey, breaking down and
recognising each element of the programme to represent the skills and
knowledge acquired. The badges will then go into the individual’s digital
CV with relevant embedded skills tags that can be matched to other
learning, training, or work-related opportunities. All of this experience,
skills and knowledge would otherwise go unaccredited:
Pathway: Creative industries pathway
In this example, an individual has collected a series of digital badges with embedded skills tags that
have signposted a specific opportunity looking for these skills, raising awareness of that opportunity,
and the individual’s eligibility to apply. For Sookio, through the employer insights, they will be able to
demonstrate the impact of their work experience in contributing to career outcomes, demonstrating
their CSR or ESG business impact.
Iterative pathway
Defined pathway
Apprenticeship
Job
FE or HE

Spotlight on Marshall Skills
Academy
Pathway focus: Plugging skills gaps and reducing
candidate shortages
Growth sector: Engineering, Construction, Aviation and
Land Systems
Pathway: Engineering Operative Apprenticeship (Level 2)
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
Part of the Marshall Group, Marshall Skills Academy launched in February
2020 and was founded on its proud reputation of over 100 years delivering
the best aircraft fitters, technicians, and engineers in the business. The
Academy will build upon its impressive track record of 20,000 trained
apprentices, and is expanding this training with a range of education and
business partners both locally, and internationally.
CHALLENGE
Almost 50% of Construction sector jobs remain unfilled. With the rapid
growth of new construction projects and housing settlements, the number
of vacancies is set to rise. Addressing the skills shortages of the
underemployed, newcomers, or those transitioning who would like to reskill
themselves, Marshall Skills Academy is passionate about making a positive
difference to young people’s career outcomes and the local economy.
XP SOLUTION
The role of Engineering Operative Apprenticeship is vital to the industry but
is also an example of a position which has been difficult to recruit. Through
the XP platform, Marshall Skills Academy will be able to positively target
young people furthest from the labour market and, in areas with greater
deprivation, and make a significant impact to both young people and their
communities.
“We were immediately impressed by the
innovative and future-proof approaches
taken by Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity, one that offers a practical
solution to a real-world issue, that we
haven’t seen before. We are looking
forward to piloting this model to engage
with local young people, especially those
who are further from the labour market.”
Dan Edwards, General Manager, Marshall Skills Academy
Defined pathway

Spotlight on KPMG
Pathway focus: Introducing a skills led, not job description led, approach to
more agile recruitment
Growth sector: Professional Services – Financial and Legal
Pathway: Discovery Work Experience Programme – fast track for young
people from less advantaged backgrounds into apprenticeships
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
KPMG firms operate in 144 countries and territories and, during 2021, collectively employed more
than 236,000 people, serving the needs of businesses, governments, public-sector agencies, not-for-
profits and through KPMG firms' audit and assurance practices, the capital markets. KPMG wants
people from every walk of life, to join and build a career with them, their approach to diversity is to
‘come as you are’.
CHALLENGE
Everywhere you turn today, businesses are competing to secure talent that, post-pandemic, seems to
have suddenly become perilously thin on the ground. Some organisations try to solve this by repeating
their old recruitment and talent approaches, hoping they will eventually find what they need. KPMG
argue that employers simply have to adjust – they have to change their approach to match what’s
available. This includes putting more emphasis on the skills people have – a skills-led approach –
rather than clinging on to old notions of fixed job roles and specifications.
XP SOLUTION
KPMG will work with the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity team to explore its skills-led
organisation design concept, to create a more fluid and flexible approach to recruitment, where jobs
are broken down into skills. Through XP, employers will have visibility of the skills their workforce
has to better meet their own internal current and growth needs, external talent environment and
take a more integrated approach to workforce development. In this example, the pathway badges
contain skills tags that demonstrate KPMGs recruitment core skills of career motivation, leverage
technology, communicate effectively, credible connector, show curiosity, and purposeful collaborator.
“As a Director of Skills, and someone who
regularly speaks with the government on a range of skills and employment
issues, I believe that the XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
model is one of the most innovative, exciting initiatives that I’ve seen come out
of a local authority. As a bottom up rather than top-down initiative, it has
significant potential to resolve skills gaps and recruitment problems that are
both place-based and primed for scaling up nationally.”
Iterative pathway

Spotlight on Cambridge City Council
Pathway focus: Supporting people’s entry, progression and succession routes, and
professional growth
Growth sector: Local authority
Pathway: General Operative job unfilled vacancy (internal applicant)
EMPLOYER OVERVIEW
In the last year, Cambridge City Council has made
200 job offers. As an accredited Investors in
People (IIP) organisation, it is committed to
developing and supporting its staff from the day
they join the organisation. A quarter of the
appointments made in the last year were to
internal candidates and, of those, 59% were a
promotion.
CHALLENGE
Many local authorities struggle to attract young
applicants, to communicate how the Council is
a good employer and why young people should
consider a career with it, particularly now when
the demand for talent is high, recruitment is
challenging, and it is a ‘candidate’s market’.
XP SOLUTION
Cambridge City Council has a variety of routes and pathways where a young person’s journey can
begin and flourish, including full time and part time jobs, work experience, volunteering, T Levels,
mentoring, Apprenticeships, and a graduate programme. Working with XP, the Council will pilot a
range of digital badging and pathway strategies to become an attractive and favoured destination for
future job applicants through designing accessible pathways into entry level work opportunities, where
digital badges will more easily communicate essential and desirable skills, signpost supported
development through internal progression routes, recognise staff achievements, training, and also
acknowledge when staff meet core competencies.
“Cambridge City is an ambitious and forward-thinking council that recognises
what matters. We are delighted to be working with XP and the Region of
Learning to support accessible pathways into and around the organisation.
Attracting young people to the organisation is a priority for us.”
Cllr Alice Gilderdale, Executive Councillor for Recovery, Employment and Community Safety,
Cambridge City Council
Defined pathway

Pathway: General Operative job (pathway two – external applicant)
In XP, a potential candidate can gain evidence of skills through digital badges
and understand what their percentage match is to fulfil the skills criteria of a
specific job or work-related opportunity. The General Operative job has a
mixture of skills requirements, from being able to use machinery for street
cleaning, to horticultural skills, and cleaning; alongside a set of transferable
skills. In example one, the potential candidate has approximately 50% of the
sought-after skills, while example two has approximately 90% of the skills
required by the employer:
In example one above, if the individual sets the ‘General Operative Applicant’
badge as a destination in XP, Cambridge City Council will be able to see how
many potential candidates are interested in this role, and what skills they have that meet the criteria.
Pathway: Staff Core Competencies Framework recognition
The Council is exploring how it can better recognise
on-the-job training and acknowledge when staff meet
core competencies during the appraisal process. The Council will be able to
see more clearly the competencies met through its workforce, and
meaningfully communicate this back to staff:
“XP will enable the Council to showcase our unique and
diverse career pathways, where candidates and employees
alike will be able to evidence their hard-earned achievements
in a universal way, and further continue their work-life
journeys with us. Recognising so much more in addition to
traditional qualifications, we are proud to support this
initiative so that our staff can be confident in articulating
their skills and achieve their potential, as we continue to
develop, build and invest in a skilled workforce. We hope that
other employers will also adopt this fantastic new way to
support the local workforce.”
Robert Pollock, Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge City Council
XP triggers a
notification that the
individual has a
percentage of skills
relevant to the
opportunity of
‘General Operative
Applicant’
Candidate has 90%
of skills for the role
of ‘General
Operative
Applicant’
Iterative pathway
Defined pathway

Call to action
WHY JOIN US?
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of
Learning, Skills and Opportunity will only succeed if
we all work together with the common goal of
improving learning, skills, and employment outcomes
for people. The Region of Learning model also
enables employers and businesses to enhance and
demonstrate ESG and CSR, supporting all people but
particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds
or who face barriers to entering the labour market.
Build a talent pipeline to your opportunities
▪ Define your skills and people needs and create a
strategy for building a local talent pipeline
▪ Open your recruitment process to a wider group of individuals who can credibly verify their skills
▪ Support the local labour market and build brand recognition
Become a leader in inclusive recruitment
practices
▪ Become a trailblazer, using digital badges
to recognise all types of learning and
experiences in your recruitment process -
easily and quickly
▪ Access a more diverse pool of highly
capable local candidates and invite them to
apply for your positions
Employee engagement and growth
▪ Priority recommendations of badged
learning opportunities across the
region/city for your employees
▪ Help to incentivise and retain staff by
providing incremental on-job training
opportunities that do not require
investment in formal courses
Widen your network
▪ Join Badge Nation's national network of
155+ trailblazer businesses leading badging
and pathways development
Grow your brand and impact
▪ Priority invitations to local & national
employer events and research roundtables
by The RSA and Cambridge City Council
HOW TO JOIN US
You can connect with us by scanning the QR code on the
back page of this brochure, or by visiting xpcambs.co.uk. We
will then schedule a call with you to discuss how we can work
together.
We understand that businesses and employers will have varying
levels of capacity or resources to engage with us. So, we have
designed three different ways we can work together, from
simply pledging to recognise digital badges if someone uses them to evidence their skills, through to
creating a single badge or a series of badges that could form a pathway. You can also work with
partner organisations to design badges or pathways, and we can support this process.

Of course, by working with us, your organisation can earn one of the following digital badges which
you can display on your website, LinkedIn profile, e-signature, and include as part of your CSR and
ESG strategies:
DIGITAL BADGE SUPPORTER
Simply pledge to recognise digital badges as a valid way for people to show more
than their qualifications during your recruitment process. Help us demonstrate the
credibility of digital badges and transferable skills. There is no administration or time
commitment required.
DIGITAL BADGE CHAMPION
Support individuals to identify the skills they have and opportunities to build new
ones by creating your own digital badges, that people could earn, for example, while
doing work experience with you. Full support is offered to help you design and write
your badges, or you can access a range of badges already developed.
DIGITAL BADGE TRAILBLAZER
Work with the Region of Learning to develop digital pathways into your business,
industry to sector and help us understand the skills or experience you feel people
need to demonstrate. Full support is offered to help match the skills and experience
to local learning opportunities and build ‘A to B’ pathways with digital badges.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
Welcome call
▪ 45-minute introductory virtual meeting or
call to answer any questions and align the
work to your needs. This could be with
your HR, L&D or DEI representative or
another relevant member/s of your
organisation
Opportunity diagnosis
▪ 2-hour conversation (spread over calls/emails)
to select 1-2 opportunities you would like to
build pathways towards and unpack your skills
and people requirements
▪ We will draft pathway options (by identifying
and connecting provision from across
the city/region that help people build the
skills you need)
Pathways iteration
▪ Review draft pathways asynchronously via
email.
▪ Attend a 90-minute joint iteration workshop
with other providers if appropriate (whose
activities feature in the pathways) to finalise
pathways
▪ For those who wish to develop further digital
badges or pathways, further support is offered
with dedicated badge writing workshops
▪ Digital badging user agreement completed
Launch
▪ Pathway(s) to your opportunity will be
launched on the Navigatr digital platform to
make them accessible to individuals, learners,
or candidates across the Region
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity has removed any financial barriers to engaging in this
vital programme for everyone in year one. For small organisations, it will remain free. For larger
organisations or businesses there is a fee of £200 pa which is payable to our digital badging partner,
Badge Nation.

Speaker biographies
Rachel Carter, Strategic Lead, Learning, Skills and Enterprise, Future
Creators
Rachel has a wealth of experience both in the private sector and public sector
and most recently was the Head of Skills & Employment within Brighton &
Hove City Council managing a range of services supporting the development of
skills and supporting people towards employment, with particular focus on
those furthest from the labour market. She brings experience and knowledge
of the education sector and has well established connections with networks of
employers, training, and education providers and third sector organisations. As
one of the pilot cities for the RSA’s Cities of Learning in Brighton and as a founding member of Badge Nation,
Rachel is now mentoring new Cities and Regions of Learning.
Sophie is co-founder and CEO of Costello Medical and has been providing
scientific support to the healthcare sector for twenty years. In her role as CEO,
Sophie provides strategic guidance and scientific direction to the company.
Sophie spends much of her time engaging with individuals across the company to
understand and facilitate their aspirations. Sophie also has a passion for ensuring
Costello Medical is a force for good and is closely involved with the company’s
pro-bono team and outreach activities to ensure the growing company has a
positive impact.
Mark helps places, businesses, and the government to develop strategies to
improve their future skills gaps. He analyses domestic policy and global
megatrends and translates their impacts on consumer behaviour, the workplace,
supply chains, and infrastructure. Mark is a disruptive thinker. He edited
KPMG’s Reimagine public policy programme, contributing ideas on how to build
more homes, make social care better and more productive, eliminate the need
for food banks and boost life-long learning. Mark loves learning new skills himself
and spends his spare time keeping his thirty-year-old boat afloat by developing
his skills in electronics, plumbing and diesel engine maintenance. Mark is a school governor at the City
Academy Hackney and, until recently, the chair of Bounceback, a charity dedicated to providing skills and
employment opportunities for ex-offenders.
Cllr Alice Gilderdale, Executive Councillor for Recovery,
Employment and Community Safety, Cambridge City Council
Alice grew up in Cambridge and graduated from Cambridge University in 2020.
As the youngest Executive Cllr (24 years old) she has always been a strong and
vocal advocate for young residents and students in the city. She is passionate
about bringing new exciting ideas into the work of the Council, for example
fighting gender-based violence and harassment, and continuing work to
promote the Real Living Wage across the city. Employment is one of the key
areas of her portfolio, and she intends for the Council to do all it can to
support all workers in the city to ensure they have fair pay and fair working
conditions. She is also excited to work in partnership with local businesses and institutions to promote
community values, through programmes such as community wealth building and doughnut economic principles.

Michelle Lord, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning,
Skills and Opportunity Manager, Cambridge City Council
Alongside her work in Community Services, Michelle has led the Region of
Learning, Skills and Opportunity approach since 2016 to develop a system-wide
coalition approach to improving young people’s social mobility through increasing
participation in learning and skills, providing a 21st century way to recognise
individual skills, competencies, and employability. She leads a small, dedicated
team committed to making learning and career pathways that embrace digital
innovation. Michelle also led the City’s Covid data management and
methodology design, and is an active advocate for the role of data in evidence-based decision making and
impact measurement. She is a Fellow of the RSA, member of the Cabinet Office led What Works Network
and an Executive Board Member for CLOA. Michelle likes nothing more than the challenge of designing and
testing solutions to problems. She also enjoys the thrills and spills of aquascaping in her spare time.
Robert Pollock, Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge City Council
Robert joined Cambridge City Council as Chief Executive in April 2021. Prior to
that he was a Director at Social Finance, a non-for-profit social impact
organisation and held a number of director roles in charities and social
investment vehicles. For much of his career Robert was a civil servant based in
the Treasury. He has also worked in leadership roles at the United Nations, in
New York and Westminster City Council. Robert is currently a board member
of New Local and an avid supporter of the Mountain Bothy Association.
Mark Riches, Director, Product Director, Navigatr Limited
Mark has more than 15 years of product design experience, having worked at the
forefront of digital design for both Reed Elsevier and Digitalme, a City and Guilds
Group. He now leads the development of the Navigatr platform which helps
people find new routes into employment. It helps training providers demonstrate
the impact of their programmes, businesses connect people with skills, and local
councils utilise data to show which programmes are effective at which kinds of
learning and why.
Deana Ward, Head of Development, Learning Skills and Enterprise,
Future Creators
Deana’s recent focus has been heading up a Creative Kickstart Gateway, rolling
out a portfolio of employability courses and engaging with employers from the
Cultural, Arts and Digital sectors across the region, to provide Kickstart
opportunities for young people. In her role, she is building programmes and
partnerships with DWP, DCMS and Arts Council to support skills development
and employability. Deana has extensive experience developing effective
partnerships across business and education, to ensure that people have access to
skills, resources and inspiration they need to thrive. She is currently working on the DCMS project,
Volunteering Futures in partnership with the NHS and cultural organisations to support mental health and
wellbeing.

Simon is an experienced tax partner in the Cambridge office who advises private
businesses and private clients across East Anglia and London. Simon has
experience of advising UK and international families on managing all aspects of
the tax affairs of their businesses and personal affairs. He works with businesses
across a range of sectors including Media, Real Estate, Construction, Technology,
Life Sciences and Government. Among his clients he works with Seetec which is
a business focused on skills, training and employability. He is also working with a
number of clients supporting Local Government initiatives to drive affordable
housing across the Region. He is keen for PwC to play an important role in the Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity, supporting the Local Government lead initiative and helping young people with career
opportunities and learning experiences. PwC has recent experience of supporting social mobility and learning
projects across the UK, with recent examples of working collaboratively with Local Government in Belfast,
Bradford and Manchester and will draw on this national experience for the Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity initiative.

Meet the XP and Region of Learning,
Skills and Opportunity team
Jo Hodgson, Administrator and Coordinator
Jo joined XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity team in September
2021 as the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity Administrator and
Coordinator. Alongside ensuring the project is European Social Fund compliant,
she develops referral routes into the programme, spreading information about the
project and its offer and linking with schools and other providers. Jo has a
background in education and the arts, having taught in mainstream and special
needs education for over 15 years. e: joanna.hodgson@cambridge.gov.uk
Lucy Laing, Learning Pathways and Provider Support Officer
Lucy joined XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity team in September
2021 and works closely with learning providers from sectors across the region,
supporting them to optimise and endorse their current learning and wellbeing
opportunities with digital badges. Using local skills analysis, Lucy curates learning
pathways within the Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity eco-system, aligning
skills and opportunities to further learning and life goals. Lucy also coordinates the
badge writing workshops with our project delivery partner Badge Nation, along
with the Learning Provider Network. e: lucy.laing@cambridge.gov.uk
Michelle Lord, Manager
Michelle manages the XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
programme and team. Alongside other projects, she has led it from conception,
research and feasibility, consultation, live prototyping, fundraising, development,
and implementation through to delivery. She oversees digital badging and
pathways, platform innovation, data design, stakeholder relationships with
employers, education and informal learning providers, local authority services, and
a range of delivery, development and delivery partners.
e: michelle.lord@cambridge.gov.uk
Alexandra Oberrotman, Career Pathways and Employer Engagement
Officer
Ally joined XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity team in November
2021. In her role, she develops relationships with employers and businesses across
all sectors and sizes, supporting them to identify opportunities such as work
experience, apprenticeships and jobs that can be digitally badged and form
pathways that help breakdown the skills and experience employers are looking for.
e: alexandra.oberrotman@cambridge.gov.uk
Ricky Tam, Digital Development and Technology Officer
Ricky joined the XP and Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity in February
2022. Ricky liaises with platform's delivery partners and suppliers, reviewing the
designs, standards, and technologies for the platform to ensure that any technical
specifications are clearly defined and communicated. Ricky has extensive
experience in web and mobile application development, website implementation,
digital media event production, and UI/UX design using cutting-edge web
technologies in an Agile environment. e: ricky.tam@cambridge.gov.uk
The whole team will be at the event, please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions!

Thank you
XP and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity is working with a
fantastic range of delivery partners and supporters. The project is a strategic partnership with Cambridgeshire
County Council and Peterborough City Council.
Our partners include Form the Future and Shift Momentum which are delivering vital ‘on the ground’
support to enable young people to progress into education, training, employment, self-employment, and
entrepreneurialism. Anglia Ruskin University is providing invaluable support through its Social Innovation
initiatives, and we have incredible partners which are driving skills innovation with us and have welcomed us into
the Cities of Learning family: The RSA, Navigatr, Badge Nation, Real Ideas Organisation, and Creative
Futures.
We want to thank all the learning providers, wellbeing services, and employers that have started their journey
with us, and our funders, the European Social Fund, Cambridgeshire County Council, Greater Cambridge
Partnership, ARU, and Southampton City Council. A special thank you to Cambridgeshire Libraries, which
has been a part of this project from the beginning, and will be working with us to develop the library card as a
smart, universal passport to learning, skills and opportunity.
Finally, Cambridge City Council wishes to thank PwC for being our event host, sponsor and supporter.
Cities of Learning is led by
In partnership with
XP and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and Opportunity
is led by
Our funders and partners are

Let’s connect
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity will only succeed if we all work together with the common
goal of improving learning, skills and employment outcomes for people.
Join the growing number of organisations and businesses trailblazing a new
and exciting way of working with XP and the Region of Learning, Skills and
Opportunity!
Take your first step to embracing a better skilled Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough by scanning this QR code to let us know you would like to
connect.
Connect with us and earn your first digital badge to demonstrate your newfound awareness of micro-
credentialled pathways.
What’s next?
XP and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Region of Learning, Skills
and Opportunity will be holding a launch event in Peterborough, follow us
on social media or visit us at xpcambs.co.uk for more information.
Digital platform launch – Summer 2022
Smart card launch – Autumn 2022
Learning provider network launch – Autumn 2022
Visit xpcambs.co.uk for more information

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