John Cope
John Cope is an Associate Fellow at Bright Blue.
Born to a 14-year-old girl on a council estate, John went into foster care before being adopted. It’s this start in life that drove him to dedicate his career to education, social justice, apprenticeships, and politics to help spread opportunity. John is currently Executive Director of Strategy at UCAS, as well as being appointed to the government Digital Skills Council and the board of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education which regulates the English skills system. While at UCAS, he has driven forward the inclusion of apprenticeships and adult education on the platform.
Alongside this professional experience, John is the parliamentary candidate for Esher & Walton, and has been elected a local councillor & leader of the opposition on Elmbridge Council that covers his constituency. Previous experience includes being a political advisor to several cabinet ministers; co-founding the Education Policy Institute; advising FTSE CEOs on labour markets and workforce policy; and managing press for ministers during the 2015 general election. He’s on LinkedIn here.
