Latest News
Skills Group
Cambridge can be a place of fantastic opportunity, with good new jobs created at a faster rate than almost anywhere else in the UK.
However, we know that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to do those jobs and at the same time employers can struggle to fill vacancies and recruit and retain their staff.
The Skills Group focuses on how the skills system can address these issues, making the Cambridge economy more inclusive and in turn build a more secure pipeline of talent for employers.
The Skills Group is passionate about the importance of young people getting the best possible education regarding the career opportunities available to them and the various pathways they can take into work.
In order to support this objective, raise career aspirations and broaden horizons for young people, we have produced a series of careers videos for use in schools and colleges across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
These feature young people from across a range of sectors from with Cambridge Ahead membership organisations and beyond.
Gareth John is Chief Executive of First Intuition, an accountancy training provider based in Cambridge, with operations across East Anglia. A Chartered Accountant with 25 years in professional education, he has strong ties with major UK accountancy bodies, including ICAEW, AAT, ACCA, and CIMA.
Gareth has played a key role in implementing accountancy apprenticeship standards for large clients and actively engages in policy discussions with organisations like ESFA, DfE, and CBI. Passionate about broadening access to the profession, he advocates for school leaver programmes and quality careers advice. He is now shaping Post-Qualification Education in finance, focusing on Digital Technologies, Data Analytics, Leadership, and Management.
Gareth also serves on the ICAEW Council, CBI East of England Regional Council, ICAEW East of England Strategy Board, and as a Governor of Cambridgeshire Skills.
News Articles
Latest News
Group Members
Abbey People: Nicky Shepard
Arm*: Khaled Benkrid/ Nicholas Sample
Anglia Ruskin University*: Professor Claire Pike
Birketts*: Abigail Trencher
Bruntwood SciTech*: Aline Charpentier
Cambridge Building Society*: Louise Harper
Cambridge Chambers of Commerce: Charlotte Horobin
Cambridge Consultants*: Lucy James
Cambridge City Council: Jemma Little
Cambridgeshire County Council: Jonathan Lewis
Cambridge Regional College: Corrin Hoyes
Cambridge United Foundation*: Tim Walker
Cambridge University Hospitals*: Vanessa Anderson/ Karen Clarke
Cambridge University Press & Assessment: Tom Goldie
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority: Andrea Wood
Careers and Enterprise Company: Daryl Keyworth
The Crown Estate*: Hannah Patrick
Eastern Education Group*: Laraine Moody/Tom Lloyd
Form the Future: Anne Bailey
Meridian Trust: Andy Daly / Angela Manley
Morgan Sindall*: Helen Clements
Mott MacDonald*: Rosie Lugg
One Nucleus: Tony Jones
Swavesey Village College: Andrew Daly
Urban & Civic*: Rebecca Britton
Wellcome Sanger Institute*: Dawn Percival/ Francesca Gale
* Member/Member organisation
Cambridge Ahead: Dan Thorp, CEO, Andrew McGowan, Director of Programmes and Partnerships, Alex Rossiter, Senior Policy Manager, Emma Pritchard, Policy and Research Officer
