Building the Skills Bridge: How Collaboration Creates Real Social Value

November 10, 2025Posted by: Sarah

Simon Bladon, Divisional MD for Challenge TRG Skills

Building the Skills Bridge: Linking Social Mission with Commercial Success

By Simon Bladon, Divisional Managing Director, Challenge TRG Skills

I’ve been with Challenge TRG Skills for nearly seven years – and in the skills sector for two decades - and I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting or important time to talk about skills, work, and what the future looks like for our learners, employers, and teams.

Our mission is to transform potential into progress by helping people believe in themselves, achieve qualifications and succeed in work in the logistics, warehousing, manufacturing and driving sectors. These industries keep the country moving and provide great opportunities for people to embrace and hit the ground running. Readiness isn’t just about technical skills. It’s about understanding the environment you’re stepping into, having the right mindset, and being supported by a system that believes in your potential.

Re-engineering training around real jobs

For us, it’s not about just filling courses. It’s about looking after our people and addressing skills gaps. Our model reverses the traditional approach; we align training with real market demand by starting with the job and shaping our programs to equip candidates with the training and preparation the employers we work with are looking for.

This encompasses a wide range of skills from health and safety standards to soft skills, resilience, and understanding workplace culture. From that position we can take a more personal approach - one that helps individuals move from learning to earning quickly and sustainably. Our data shows it works. Our learners don’t just secure jobs, they thrive in them.

Giving people confidence - not just qualifications

Many of our learners haven’t had great experiences in education before. Some don’t have any formal qualifications. So when we present someone a certificate for the first time in years, sometimes ever - you can see the pride it gives them. It transforms how they see themselves and what they believe they are capable of.

We’ve seen that in reality with people like Leanne - a single mum of three. We trained her first as an HGV Class 2 driver and later supported her to achieve her Class 1. She got a job driving a Class 2 truck, made one mistake (touched a kerb) which was an instant dismissal. Finding herself unemployed again we were able to train her to Class 1. Now she’s driving Class 1 for Tesco, excelling, and earning a great salary.

This is just one story that highlights the purpose behind what we do at Challenge TRG Skills, creating opportunities and, at times, second chances – nurturing confidence and building a sense of community.

Tackling barriers head-on

Of course, there are real barriers that hold people back - unsupported neurodiversity, digital poverty, childcare, transport, and anxiety about returning to work to name only a few. We confront these barriers head on. Every learner goes through an initial diagnostic that helps us identify where they might need extra support, whether it’s English, Maths, interpersonal or digital skills.

We’ve invested in laptops and learning devices that can be used in classrooms or loaned to learners who lack access to technology at home.

Our online learning platform gives people the flexibility to learn in ways that fit around their lives. And our tutors and mentors make sure no one is left behind.

Supporting a modern, flexible workforce

The workforce is more fluid and less fixed - and so are we. Our team works evenings and weekends to accommodate care workers, drivers, and warehouse operatives whose schedules fall outside the typical 9-5pm. We’re designing hybrid learning models to match that reality, supporting employers who need flexibility too.

Internally, we’re focused on open communication and collaboration. Following our recent acquisition to join the swipejobs group which includes us, PeoplePlus and Talent UK and their charity, Rise Up, we’ve launched an initiative called Reignite to keep everyone connected and focused on what’s possible. Change brings uncertainty, but it also brings opportunity. I welcome conversations about ideas, concerns or anything that keeps us connected. Anyone is free to stop by anytime to share thoughts, questions or feedback.

Expanding horizons with PeoplePlus and swipejobs

The connection with PeoplePlus and Swipejobs unlocks countless possibilities. Together, we have an end-to-end offer - from training and employability programmes to real jobs at the other side.

The swipejobs platform will transform the landscape. It’s talent-centric, it screens people in, not out. It helps us understand what works for each person and which skills or qualifications can make them more employable. Combined with our training data, it gives us a powerful feedback loop - one that can show, in real time, what skills are in demand, how people are progressing, and how we can help them go further.

The social value of doing the right thing - together

Every learner we train, every opportunity we help create, every barrier we remove - it all generates social value. It’s not a side effect; it’s what happens when things are done right.

It’s about beneficial partnerships for everyone involved in a learner’s journey. When someone moves from long-term unemployment into sustainable work, there’s a measurable benefit to their household income, to local economies, and to community wellbeing. When employers gain a more skilled, loyal workforce, productivity rises. When public funding results in genuine opportunity and progression, society gains. That’s social value - and it accrues across everything we do.

Being part of the swipejobs family makes the impact even greater. Peopleplus brings a wealth of experience in employability, education, and justice. Challenge TRG Skills brings the specialist, sector-specific training that leads to real jobs. And swipejobs brings responsible AI technology, intelligence, and scale. Together, we can measure social value not just in stories and statistics, but in outcomes that stand up to scrutiny - proof that this way of working benefits everyone involved.

The science of social recruitment

Some people think social recruitment is an art - and it is, in part. But it’s also becoming a science. With the right data, collaboration, and shared purpose, we can prove that inclusive, socially focused recruitment delivers real commercial value that more than returns on investment. It builds resilient workforces, improves retention, and contributes to the wider economy.

That’s what fuels my enthusiasm for being part of this group. Together, we’re building a bridge connecting social mission, responsible growth and commercial success. We’re showing that social recruitment and putting the candidate at the heart of everything isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s the smart thing to do.

Bringing community back into industry

We recognise that fair chances change lives, and we see it every day. Confidence grows. Communities strengthen. Businesses get the reliable, motivated workforce they need.

This is the core of Challenge TRG Skills identity, and with PeoplePlus and swipejobs alongside us, we’re entering an exciting new chapter. The more we work together, the more social value we generate. And that’s a future worth building.