Using Lightcast to Develop Educational Community Hubs

SCL Education Group is a UK-based organisation that uses Sport, performing arts and esports centred learning to inspire people of all ages into education. By placing sport, performing arts and esports at the centre of its curriculum, the Group enables students to work on their physical and mental wellbeing so they are best prepared to unlock fulfilling careers and lives. The Group is composed of seven divisions, each looking after unique provisions and skillsets. 

The challenge

SCL Education Group wants to support local communities and industries through the creation of local ‘Aspirational Community Hubs’ for adults. One of these hubs was recently set up in Manchester via a partnership with the local semi-professional football club FC United. 

Working with FC United, the Group’s goal was to transform the community through the power of football, while also providing relevant learning courses that would empower adults to rejoin the workforce or boost their career opportunities. The Group needed regional labour market data to bring this strategy to life and create a portfolio that would match the needs of local employers. 

Developing the FC United and SCL Education Aspirational Hub

SCL Education Group initially looked at the strategy of Greater Manchester Common Authority (GMCA) to understand where it could have the biggest impact in improving people’s health. Then, using Lightcast's labour market data platform, Analyst, it looked at the primary and secondary occupations it could target based on roles that had the highest recruitment. 

Analysing Lightcast’s skills data, the Group was able to understand the common and specialised skills local organisations were looking for when recruiting for these roles, and help its adult learners stand out from the crowd. Lightcast was used to define key market gaps and shape the portfolio of each of the Group’s seven divisions for this hub.

The results

According to Stuart Allen, Group Director of Operations/Principal at SCL Education Group, Lightcast is a game-changer when it comes to designing curriculum that truly matches the needs of the community and local employers. Using Lightcast, the Group was able to develop not only a strong course portfolio, but also a value-add proposition that instigates learners to refine sought-after common skills through mentorships, masterclasses, and other wellbeing activities.

This Aspirational Community Hub delivers a new way of learning and has proven really meaningful for the community and region. It has even gathered interest from combined authorities that are recognising the power of sport in improving careers and lives, and is serving as an example for other FC United Hub replicas being built across the UK.

Commenting of the value Lightcast brought to SCL Education Group, Stuart Allen said: 

“I can’t recommend Lightcast’s Analyst data platform enough. The data you get at the local level is above and beyond what combined authorities, industrial, LEP and LSIP strategies will give you. Lightcast data provides absolute frontline information about the education attainment of its community, industry, occupation, and skills trends, enabling us to design a curriculum that is really on point.”