Flourish - Good Green Training and Work in Cornwall

This report presents the first-year findings of the Flourish project in Cornwall, a research-impact initiative led by the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) in partnership with Cornwall Council’s Youth Engagement Programme (YEP). As Cornwall positions itself as a leader in the green transition through floating offshore wind, geothermal power, and critical mineral mining, the project seeks to ensure these high-value opportunities - where economic contribution per job is 38% higher than the UK average - are accessible to all.

Moving beyond traditional vocational training, the report adopts a “capabilities approach” rooted in the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia (human flourishing). It examines the specific local “conversion factors” required for individuals in peripheral and post-industrial regions to turn skills into good work that they genuinely have reason to value.

The research is grounded in a participatory, design-led methodology centred on the lived experiences of community researchers who have recent experience of being NEET (16-24 year olds who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training). Through 21 in-depth interviews with local stakeholders and peers, the project identifies five systemic challenges specific to the Cornish context:‍

1. Awareness of diverse green roles beyond the obvious

2. The capability to navigate impersonal application systems

3. Limited support for those with SEND

4. Geographic barriers in a rural county where 45.4% of workers travel over 10km

5. Financial constraints that create a ceiling for upskilling. Together, these intersecting barriers - from transport to the “get out to get on” narrative - shape uneven access to opportunity in the green economy.

To address these challenges, the report sets out a series of actionable policy recommendations and introduces the development of the Flourish technology platform, co-designed to help users identify intrinsic motivations and navigate local pathways. Key proposals include a unified national green skills taxonomy, strengthened sector-specific employer networks to expand SME apprenticeship provision, and place-based transport analysis to reduce geographic frictions.

Ultimately, the report argues that Cornwall’s green transition must be an active and inclusive process - one that transforms the region’s industrial heritage into a future where technology and policy work together to support dignity, autonomy, and good work for everyone.