Workforce planning and development

Evidence-led workforce decisions that drive smarter investment and measurable impact

Grounded in robust evidence and practical application, our workforce planning and development solutions strengthen capability, resilience and productivity. We focus on measurable impact, enabling workforce strategies that are sustainable and aligned to service and financial priorities.

Responding to complex workforce pressures

Public service organisations are operating under sustained financial pressure, rising demand and rapid service change. Workforce decisions made today will determine the resilience and long-term sustainability of services.

Common pressures include:

Access to workforce and demand data, but limited capacity to translate it into actionable insight.
Workforce plans misaligned with financial planning or savings requirements.
Capability and succession risks across key roles, with limited clarity on current and future skills needs.
Service and technology change reshaping roles faster than workforce structures can adapt.
A reactive cycle of recruitment, filling vacancies without redesigning the workforce model.

An evidence-led approach to workforce planning and development

We bring together workforce analytics, forecasting and workforce design to support informed, financially aligned decision-making. Drawing on deep sector knowledge and cross-industry insight, we provide fresh, informed perspectives that strengthen capability. Our services include:

Workforce and demand analytics to establish a robust evidence base.
Supply and demand forecasting, supported by structured scenario modelling.
Succession and workforce risk analysis across critical roles.
Costed workforce scenarios aligned to medium-term financial planning.
Skills and capability analysis to identify current and future workforce gaps.
Role standardisation and workforce redesign to reflect evolving service models and technology.
Workforce plans that set out priorities across recruitment, development and workforce design.

How we work with you

We work in partnership with you in a way that best supports your context. This may include delivering as a managed service, bringing specialist expertise and additional capacity; working alongside internal teams to accelerate delivery; or building capability to sustain workforce planning and development over the long term.

Our approach is underpinned by clear principles:

Evidence-led decision-making, combining rigorous analysis with practical workforce and skills insight.
Integrity and accountability, providing independent, responsible advice grounded in long-term value.
Respect and collaboration, co-creating solutions that reflect operational experience and sector knowledge.

Why partner with us?

Recognised methodology: Our Six Steps Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning® is widely utilised and cited in national workforce policy.
Proven at scale: We have applied workforce modelling and planning approaches within organisations of 10,000+ employees, supporting national and system-level transformation.
Cross-sector expertise and insight: Our experience spans health, policing, local government, national infrastructure and private-sector industries including tourism, bringing transferable insight across complex public services.
End-to-end capability: We integrate workforce analytics, forecasting, workforce design and development, ensuring strategy translates into implementation.

“Having the unrivalled intelligence and expertise of The Workforce Development Trust to support our long-term planning in this area has been nothing short of transformational. Experts in their field, with purpose at their core, their mission is to support better frontline public services through skills and workforce development, and they’ve certainly delivered on that promise through their partnership with us.” Sarah Boland, Workforce Lead at Network Rail

Trusted across sectors

Through our brands we have supported organisations including

Health Education Improvement Wales

Network Rail

Halton Borough Council

NHS England

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)

NHS Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Forensic Services

McKeever

Case study: Strengthening community wellbeing through workforce strategy

We partnered with Halton Borough Council to create an adult social care workforce strategy addressing the 40% rise in residents aged over 65+ over the next decade.

The plan supports 1,000+ care professionals with clearer career paths, fair pay, and stronger standard, building a skilled, stable workforce to improve care equality and outcomes for Halton’s 128,577 residents.

Find out more

Case study: Empowering Network Rail with predictive workforce tools

We created a vacancy estimator tool for Network Rail’s 6,000+ signallers – critical staff managing 30,000 daily train movements across 20,000 miles of track. By forecasting five-year recruitment needs for around 500 new signallers annually, the tool improves strategic hiring, cuts overtime reliance, and delivers cost savings. Most importantly, it strengthens operational resilience to keep the rail network safe and efficient. This work was recently recognised with a national RailStaff Award nomination.

Learn more about this project