Report Launch Event | The Missing Middle

Confirmed speakers

• Mary Curnock Cook (Chair), Pearson Education

• Helen Hayes MP, Chair, Education Committee

• Matt Harbour, Vice Principal, South Devon College 

• Rebecca Mameli, Team Manager, UK Product Management, Pearson 

• Mark Morrin, Principal Research Consultant, Lifelong Education Institute

The event will launch our latest report, kindly supported by Pearson, examining the structural persistence of the ‘missing middle’ and the strategic role of Level 4 and 5 qualifications in addressing the UK’s evolving skills requirements. We will discuss how higher technical pathways can be recognised as prestigious, standalone milestones for career progression, and explore how stakeholders can better align these routes with regional productivity goals, ensuring they offer flexible, high-quality opportunities for both initial qualification and workforce retraining.