What a Decade of Nurture Taught Us About Closing the Skills Gap

When Eden Smith launched in 2016, the UK data landscape looked very different. Demand for data science, AI and analytics capability was accelerating, but the pipeline of job ready talent simply couldn’t keep up. Universities were producing bright, technically capable graduates - yet employers continued to cite the same challenge: “We can find smart people, but not people ready for real world delivery.” 

The Nurture Programme was born to bridge the gap between academia and industry. 

Ten years later, the Nurture Programme has evolved into an award-winning ecosystem connecting universities, students and employers through live industry placements, real world project experience, soft skills development and industry aligned learning.

Across this decade, one truth has become clear: closing the skills gap isn’t about teaching more tools - it’s about bringing academia and industry together in a structured, human-centred way. 

This article explores the key lessons Nurture has taught us. 

1. The skills gap is real - but it is not purely technical 

In every university partnership, one pattern emerged: technical skills alone don’t guarantee employability. Employers consistently seek graduates who can think critically, collaborate effectively, communicate insights, and apply their knowledge in ambiguous, real-world contexts. 

Nurture’s core design intentionally blends technical learning with structured human skill development. In person workshops focus on critical thinking, curiosity, storytelling, stakeholder engagement, communication, creativity and business mindset, delivered alongside industry specialists. 

Virtual webinars reinforce this with topics such as data governance, ethical data, sustainability, visualisation psychology, and the intersection of business and data - all areas where industry need moves faster than traditional curriculum cycles. 

The lesson? 
Employers don’t just need coders. They need translators - people who can bridge data and the business. 

2. Industry must play an active role in shaping academic learning 

Universities consistently tell us that one of their greatest challenges is keeping content aligned to rapidly evolving industry needs. The Nurture model addresses this by harnessing industry partners to co-develop and deliver relevant course content, webinars and workshops. 

This co-delivery approach elevates academic programmes by: 

• Ensuring students understand real-world expectations 
• Bringing modern tools, frameworks and challenges directly into the classroom 
• Providing industry feedback loops that help universities refine courses 
• Increasing course attractiveness by offering LIVE project experience 

The outcome is clear: programmes connected to industry attract stronger cohorts and produce more employable graduates. 

3. Live projects are the most powerful catalyst for employability 

The Nurture Programme’s signature feature - the 3-month live industry placement - has proven to be the most effective bridge between education and employment. Students apply newly developed technical skills to real business problems, working as part of a professional data team. 

These projects are not theoretical exercises. They involve: 

• Real datasets 
• Real stakeholders 
• Real deadlines 
• Real organisational constraints 

And crucially, they often lead to real jobs. 

One standout example:
A Nurture student at National Highways built the foundations for a customer facing chatbot using Microsoft PowerApps and Dataverse. The prototype saved thousands in operational costs and impressed leadership so much that the student was introduced to the CEO and offered a Data Scientist role. 

This isn’t an isolated story - it’s a pattern repeated year after year. 

4. Structured employability preparation matters just as much as technical training 

Alongside live projects, Nurture includes tailored employability preparation: from 1:1 interviews to help students understand recruitment expectations, to sessions focused on career positioning and the modern workplace.   

Workshops such as “Positioning for Employment” have even been used in community bids, highlighting their value beyond university cohorts. 

This preparation ensures students enter the job market not just with skills, but with confidence, awareness of professional norms, and readiness to articulate their value. 

5. Closing the gap requires inclusive opportunity, not elitism 

A consistent theme across Nurture partnerships is inclusivity. The programme prioritises creating opportunity for all MSc Data Science, IoT and AI students. The universities we work with attract a diverse cohort – those who are attracted to the opportunity to take part in Nurture. Nurture is open to everyone – not only the ones with industry connections nor the most experienced or technically advanced.  It's about levelling the playing field to identify the brightest minds.

This inclusive approach: 

• Broadens access to industry exposure 
• Supports a diverse pipeline of emerging talent 
• Promotes social mobility 
• Helps employers discover exceptional candidates they might otherwise overlook 

Real world outcomes reinforce this: students who may not have traditional industry connections secure placements - and often permanent roles - because the programme creates a level playing field. 

6. The skills gap is both a tech challenge and a people challenge 

Nurture’s decade of learning underscores a fundamental truth: data and AI transformation is as much about people as technology. Industry frequently cites shortages in applied experience, business understanding, communication, and adaptability - areas where university curricula cannot easily keep pace. 

By integrating people-centred learning - collaboration, curiosity, communication and business awareness - Nurture produces talent that is not just employable, but impactful. 

The data industry’s needs will continue to evolve, especially with rapid developments in generative AI and data enabled decision making. But one constant remains: graduates must be prepared not only to do the work, but to understand the work, explain the work, and work with others to make change possible. 

7. A scalable model for national skills development 

The Nurture Programme’s decade-long track record shows a scalable blueprint for bridging academia and industry at a national level: 

• Industry-aligned learning 
• Live projects that directly benefit employers 
• Soft skills development embedded alongside technical learning 
• Inclusive cohort design 
• Proven employment pathways 
• Direct feedback loops reshaping academic content 

This model supports national objectives to upskill the next generation of bright minds, while giving employers immediate access to additional capacity, fresh thinking and a future talent pipeline. 

In short: it works - for students, universities and employers. 

"It’s a milestone worth celebrating! Ten years of Eden Smith Group means ten years of driving innovation, nurturing talent, and making an impact across the data and AI industry. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and even more excited for what’s next as we continue to innovate, collaborate, and grow together.’’ 
Marie May – Head of Graduate Success and Communities 

What the next decade demands 

As data and AI adoption accelerates, the UK cannot afford a talent pipeline defined by misalignment. The next decade requires: 

• Deeper partnerships between universities and industry 
• More live, applied project experience 
• Human-centred training that complements technical expertise 
• Greater inclusivity in access to opportunity 
• Programmes that evolve at the pace of industry change 

The Nurture Programme demonstrates that when academia and industry collaborate meaningfully, the skills gap narrows - not through theory, but through experience, connection and real world learning. 

After ten years, the lesson is simple: 

To prepare future data leaders, we must nurture people, not just teach content. 

If you’re ready to play an active role in developing confident, capable and diverse data talent through real-world experience, we’d love to begin the next chapter together.  Get in touch with marie.may@edensmith.co.uk and we can create inclusive opportunities that open doors for all emerging talent, connect students with meaningful projects, and ensure the next generation of data professionals are prepared to make an immediate impact, today and for years to come.