About Us
Our Story
We help places grow by understanding how work really works.
For years, we’ve worked across UK economic policy, local government and investment, helping organisations make better decisions by grounding growth ambitions in how labour markets actually function. Our perspective is shaped by experience across regional and national systems — and by a belief that long‑term growth depends on how investment shapes real opportunities for people and places.
At the heart of our approach is a simple idea: tasks shape jobs, jobs shape labour markets, and labour markets shape places. This lens allows us to challenge narrow, skills‑only thinking and take a whole‑system view of strategies, plans and projects together — not in isolation.
Labour markets sit at the centre of everything we do.
Our Purpose
Based in the West Midlands (Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire) we see everyday the opportunities and challenges that places face and our drive is to make it better for the people that live and work in those places.
Our purpose is to strengthen local economies by improving how investment and policy decisions are made.
We do this by re‑examining long‑held assumptions about labour markets, developing models that reflect how work is changing, and applying evidence to show where investment can deliver the greatest and most credible impact. Our work focuses on the conditions that enable people to move into new roles and sectors — and how those transitions shape inclusive growth over time.
By combining rigorous economic analysis with practical insight and clear communication, we help clients move from ambition to delivery. Our work has supported region‑shaping projects across towns and cities that have experienced decades of economic change, helping align investors, developers, communities and local authorities around decisions that stand up locally.
Our focus includes:
Places shaped by deindustrialisation and long‑term economic change
Investment challenges linked to labour market constraints
Understanding where and how labour demand is shifting or being displaced
Helping organisations understand labour markets as systems, not just data
About Ben
Ben Odams brings nearly twenty years of experience working across UK local and regional government, economic policy and public decision‑making.
He holds an MRes in History and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Policy, with a focus on macroeconomics and public finance. His work spans major programmes including Eco‑Towns, Local Growth Plans, devolution and local government reorganisation, and the development of Local Skills Improvement Plans.
Ben has advised senior leaders and elected members, worked directly with MPs and central government, and supported the design of labour market, education and regional economic strategies across the UK. His work is grounded in a deep understanding of how labour markets shape local economies — and how clear, evidence‑led decisions can support long‑term, inclusive growth.
Ben is proud to be based in the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire area.