As the pace of technological, economic, and demographic change accelerates, employers across all sectors are preparing for one of the most transformative periods in the UK workforce landscape.

Looking ahead to 2026, the challenge is no longer simply finding talent, but ensuring organisations can adapt, innovate, retain and grow in a labour market shaped by automation, new technologies, green transformation, and shifting employee expectations.

Weston College is playing a pivotal role in supporting employers to make this transition. Through strategic partnerships, future focused skills development and personalised workforce solutions, the College is helping organisations across the West of England build resilient pipelines of people and capability.

This thought leadership piece explores what lies ahead and how employers can position themselves to thrive.

What are the biggest skills and workforce challenges you believe employers will face in 2026, and why?

Times are changing, therefore employers will face a combination of structural shortages and fast evolving skill demands. The most immediate challenge will be access to technical talent in sectors undergoing major transformation, such as engineering, manufacturing, digital, construction, logistics and health. Technologies including automation, electrification, AI, hydrogen and advanced manufacturing will outpace traditional training pipelines, making certain roles increasingly hard to fill.

Another major issue will be the need for employees who combine technical capability with critical thinking, communication, adaptability and digital confidence. As roles become more interdisciplinary, organisations will value behaviours and mindset just as much as qualifications. Employers that do not build clear pathways and succession plans may struggle.

Finally, the green and digital transitions will reshape entire sectors at speed. Businesses that cannot reskill or upskill staff quickly will risk being left behind.

What role can Weston College play when it comes to supporting employers to power up in the next 12 months and beyond?

Weston College is well positioned to help employers meet these challenges head on. Our role is to provide future ready talent pipelines, agile workforce development solutions and employer led training that reflects real demand.

Over the next 12 months, we will continue expanding our technical and higher technical programmes, strengthening our offer in engineering, digital transformation, healthcare innovation and green skills. We design curriculums in partnership with employers from T Levels and apprenticeships to Skills Bootcamps, HTQs and degree level pathways, whilst wrapping around ‘softer’ skills, therefore ensuring relevance, quality and long term impact.

We can also help employers adapt quickly through rapid upskilling interventions, short courses and bespoke solutions tailored to immediate workforce needs. Our aim is to be a strategic partner supporting organisations to build resilience, capability and growth.

What misconceptions do employers still have about apprenticeships, industry placements, supported internships, etc., that you feel need to be challenged?

There are several misconceptions that can hold organisations back:

Apprenticeships are mainly for school leavers: In reality, apprenticeships are a powerful tool for retraining existing staff at all ages and stages of their career.

Industry placements are high administration or low-value: When structured well, placements deliver genuine productivity benefits and allow employers to shape future talent early.

Supported internships are difficult to manage: Weston College provides extensive support to employers and learners, enabling supported interns to become highly dedicated and long-term members of staff.

Training disrupts operations: Most programmes can be flexibly designed around business needs and the return on investment is often rapid.

Challenging these misconceptions is essential to opening up broader, more diverse talent pipelines.

Can Weston College offer bespoke programmes to meet individual company needs?

Absolutely! Bespoke training solutions are one of Weston College’s strengths and the staff at the college are amazing at working with employers to design custom programmes aligned to the organisation’s needs and strategic priorities. These include:

• Tailored Skills Bootcamps
• Custom apprenticeship pathways
• Employer specific technical, digital, wellbeing or leadership development programmes
• On site delivery at employer premises
• Specialist training for new or emerging technologies

This flexibility ensures companies receive training that is specific, relevant and immediately applicable.

For employers who haven’t engaged with talent programmes before, what first steps would you recommend to start building a workforce strategy for 2026?

Employers would benefit from understanding their current strengths, future needs and emerging gaps. From there, they can explore appropriate pathways including apprenticeships for long term capability building, Bootcamps for rapid upskilling, and industry placements for early talent identification. The earlier employers begin planning, the more control they have over future workforce readiness.

With the changing demand from employers, how are Weston College responding to this?

The College is continuously evolving. We work in partnership with Business West, Somerset Chamber of Commerce and WECA to review current and future labour market insights to ensure we are providing the right curriculum to support the current and future skills demands. An example being where Weston College is expanding its technical facilities, such as the Skills Academy in Filton to provide more opportunities in the engineering and aerospace sector. We also run regular sector employer forums and Employer Advisory Boards to ensure that changing needs directly influence our curriculum and strategic direction.

If you could give one piece of advice to employers looking to “power up” for 2026, what would it be and why?

Start now.

The organisations that act early by building skills, pathways and innovative capabilities will be the ones that thrive in 2026 and beyond. Talent is no longer something to wait for, but it’s something to build. The sooner employers begin, the stronger their competitive advantage will be.