Ascham Grindal is a specialist Labour Market and Skills Consultancy based in the West Midlands.

It was founded by Ben Odams in 2025 with a commitment to develop a consultancy focused on labour markets and skills that can benefit businesses, investors, developers and the public sectors at a regional and local level across the United Kingdom.

We work with a number of partner agencies and associates. As AG grows we are ambitious to developing our in-house team.

Why Ascham Grindal?

Ascham Grindal is a nod to Ben’s previous research in Early Modern History and his love of History in general.

Roger Ascham (1515- 1568) was an English Scholar who worked in the Administrations of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He also taught a young Elizabeth Greek and Latin, wrote a book on Archery, another on teaching Latin and produced a report on his time working in Germany.

Edmund Grindal (1519 - 1583) was Bishop of London, then Archbishop of York and then Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Elizabeth I. He is considered to have played a significant role in the development of the English Protestant church, he was a committed reformer who often clashed with the Queen on the development of the Church.

About Ben

With nearly Twenty years experience in and around UK regional and local government and public policy, Ben is a self-confessed policy nerd. He has an MRes in History, and a Pg Diploma in Economic Policy with a focus on Macroeconomics and Public Finance.

He has worked on everything from Eco-Towns to Local Government Reorganisation (before it became fashionable) and Devolution. His experience is based on providing advice and insight to senior management teams and elected members, developing strategies, and working with MPs and Central Government.

Over the last seven years, following his time working as head of policy in a College Group in Manchester, Ben has focused his work into Labour Markets and Skills. He has worked on Local Skills Improvement Plans, Education & Skills Strategies, advised on regional economic development models Local Government Reorganisation and has worked on numerous other projects covering labour markets.

Outside of running Ascham Grindal, Ben is a keen reader and can often be found hiding in his study doing ‘research’ for a PhD ‘he will do one day’. When he is extracted from his study by the long-suffering Mrs O, he loves to cook, walking and attempting to paint.