Policy WS/IO: Creating inclusive employment and business opportunities through new developments

6.70. This policy responds to the persistent poverty and skills gap in both Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. Despite improvements in certain indicators since 2014, poverty remains a significant issue in Cambridge, exacerbated by a "hollowed out labour market" where the dominance of higher-skilled industries limits opportunities for those with intermediate-level qualifications. In South Cambridgeshire, while inequality is less pronounced, rural deprivation is often overlooked due to its dispersed nature.

6.71. The construction industry, which offers considerable potential for local employment, faces a critical skills shortage with employers in this sector struggling to fill vacancies due to a lack of skilled applicants and insufficient training for young people. Given the scale of new developments planned for the area, it is both essential and valuable to create opportunities that address these skill deficits locally.

6.72. By implementing requirements for local employment, on-site apprenticeships, work experience, and other skills development initiatives, the policy would help equip local residents with the skills needed to meet the demands of growing sectors locally increasing social, particularly financial, inclusion. The policy will also help to foster a more self-sufficient and resilient workforce and reduce reliance on external labour.

6.73. Examples of the types of employment and training activities that can form part of a Skills and Employment Plan include:

  a. Recruitment of local residents through job brokerage, job centres and other local organisations;

  b. Apprenticeships, accredited training, pre-employment support, work experience;

  c. Education initiatives linking with local schools and colleges, school talks and careers advice;

  d. Work with the voluntary and community groups locally to support disadvantaged people; and

  e. Participation in local forums to promote sector development.

6.74. The Construction Industry Training Board National Skills Academy for Construction (CITB NSAfC) Project Based Approach guidance includes benchmarks for the following performance indicators:

  i. Work Experience Placements;

  ii. Job starts (including apprenticeships and people previously unemployed);

  iii. Construction Careers Information, Advice & Guidance (CCIAG) Events;

  iv.Training Weeks on Site;

  v. Qualifying the Workforce; and

  vi. Green Skills Training.

6.75. Local residents who have difficulty accessing the labour market, include but are not limited to NEETS (not in education, employment or training), armed services leavers, refugees and asylum seekers, care leavers, people in long-term unemployment, and those with a disability, sickness, or caring responsibilities. Those who have not traditionally accessed the career paths available through the development include, for example, women in construction.

6.76. “Local residents” for the purposes of this policy primarily refers to residents of Greater Cambridge and a local business means a business based in or having a significant permanent physical presence in Greater Cambridge.

6.77. Supported employment places for local residents during the occupation phase of a development will be calculated as follows:

A X (multiplied by) B X (multiplied by) C 

Where:

A. is the number of jobs, including apprenticeships, estimated to be created during the occupation phase (calculated using the employment densities included in Greater Cambridge Employment and Housing Evidence Update 2023).
B. 67.8% which is the percentage of Greater Cambridge residents expected to be employed as part of the workforce
C. is 5% which is the percentage of Greater Cambridge working age residents who are unemployed or economically inactive but wanting to work

6.78. The policy seeks to support community wealth building by requiring developers to consider how they can ensure that local businesses can access procurement opportunities during both the construction and occupation phases of the development. The inclusion of local procurement within the policy aligns with the broader efforts to achieve sustainable development, by reducing the reliance on external supply chains and connecting new development projects with the needs of the local community.

6.79. It is recommended that the developer engages with the Councils at an early stage to develop their Employment and Skills Plan. The Plan itself will need to have been approved in writing by the Council by an agreed point in the development process (typically, three months prior to implementation, although exact timescales will need to be agreed as part of the detail of the planning obligations in individual cases).

6.80. The Employment and Skills Plan will normally be secured by means of the S106 agreement. This will also typically include a monitoring fee to aid its implementation. The councils may produce a further technical note produced post-adoption of this plan to provide more detailed guidance.

6.81. A formula for calculating potential in-lieu payments is included in Appendix G. The money received will be used towards activities that support the provision and delivery of skills training, employment support, job brokerage and work placements, local labour programmes and supply chain management and programmes. A proportion of the value of in-lieu payment will be used by the councils to manage the investment monies, monitor delivery and make connections to local initiatives to enhance local social value impact.

For further guidance on how to submit comments, please see the Representation Guidance Note.

All comments must be received by 25 September 2026 at 5pm.