As we look to the next pivotal decade - including our new freedoms through our Integrated Settlement from April 2026 - we have an extraordinary opportunity to write the next chapter for our region, collectively.
When I was re-elected as your Mayor in 2024, I made a promise to build a region of learning and creativity, where opportunity is a right for everyone. This strategy is the roadmap for that mission. It is set to ignite a transformation spark that puts people, skills, innovation, creativity and culture at the very heart of our economic growth.
At the heart of this strategy are three pillars that set out how we will support our region to thrive:
We know that for our economy to thrive, our people must thrive. Inclusivity of economic growth has never been more fundamental, as we all navigate our way through economic turbulence and the ongoing cost-of-living impact. However, through our landmark Local Growth Plan; our Adult Skills Plan (which outlines where and how we invest funding); the robust partnerships setup through work such as Healthy Working Life Plan; our pioneering work with our cluster sectors; and the overarching West Yorkshire Plan, we are proving that lifelong learning drives forward progress, puts more money in people’s pocket, and truly unleashes West Yorkshire as a global, economic powerhouse.
This strategy is a promise: that learning won't stop at the school gates, innovation won’t be limited to the sciences, and creativity won’t be confined to the arts.
By dismantling silos, we are unlocking potential in every home, street, workplace and community, making sure people can define their own futures - and the future of West Yorkshire - with pride, imagination and confidence.
West Yorkshire has always been a place where new ideas ignite. Innovation and creativity are in our bones, and lifelong learning will help shape our future. Over the next decade, we will harness the power of deeper devolution, champion innovation, strengthen partnerships across our five local authority partners and education institutions at every level, whilst supporting our progressive, diverse business sectors to deliver this vision.
Fundamentally, the strategy is a call to action for everyone to be bold, ambitious, and to think outside the box, and recognise that talent is everywhere, and opportunity is for everyone. Together, we will build a fairer, better connected, more dynamic West Yorkshire where every resident can learn, create and thrive. This is our time. Let’s build this future together, where possibility is open to all.
Tracy Brabin
Mayor of West Yorkshire
Learning is essential for personal growth, developing confidence, curiosity and adaptability to a rapidly changing world. Creativity is about being open-minded, expressive, curious and can provide a catalyst for innovation and problem-solving.
The Region of Learning and Creativity Strategy sets out how the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and its partners will work together to improve skills, opportunity and productivity across the region. It provides a vision to guide investment, delivery and partnership working and supports the outcomes agreed with government through the region’s Integrated Settlement.
The future of employment and a growing economy depends on learning and creativity.
Learning and creativity are central to closing inequality gaps. By strengthening what already works and going further together, we can unlock opportunity, tackle inequality and drive inclusive growth for everyone in West Yorkshire.
While we have much to be proud of, challenges remain. Employers continue to face hard-to-fill vacancies, there are still skills shortages and uneven access to training, and too many young people experience inconsistent access to opportunities, careers advice and support.
The West Yorkshire Local Growth Plan highlights skills as central to inclusive growth, with a strong focus on ensuring residents can access the skills they need to get into good work, and progress in their careers as the economy evolves.
It emphasises an employer-responsive skills system, prioritising technical and transferable skills linked to key growth sectors, while removing barriers for people and communities who have historically been least served by the economy.
This strategy deliberately and confidently puts learning and creativity front and centre. It builds on West Yorkshire’s strong heritage, identity and track record as a place of ideas, innovation and collaboration. Across the region, partners, providers and employers are already delivering and investing in learning and creativity, showing what is possible when we work together.
Our, businesses, industries, and high-growth, priority sectors have the potential to add £26 billion to the national economy, but will not be able to achieve this without the right people and skills. This strategy is a call to build on momentum and to deepen our collective commitment, value learning and creativity more, and invest further so everyone can benefit.
The strategy has two overarching outcomes:
From April 2026, West Yorkshire Combined Authority received an Integrated Settlement for the first time, bringing funding across six policy areas and giving the region greater choice, control and flexibility to align skills investment with regional priorities through shared commitment, collective action and bold investment.
The Region of Learning and Creativity Strategy sets out a long-term vision for how skills, talent and opportunity can drive a happy, prosperous and growing economy, bringing partners together behind a single regional voice and linking the ambitions of the Local Growth Plan to local action.
West Yorkshire has strong foundations, with established partnerships and a track record of delivery across skills, employment, culture and business support – all the elements needed to deliver the West Yorkshire Plan and deliver the economic growth laid out in the Local Growth Plan. This strategy focuses on strengthening what works and improving consistency, access and impact, and sets out four connected priorities, with clear headline commitments and long term outcomes.
