Jacob Collier was born in Burton-upon-Trent in 1997 and grew up in Stretton.[3] He attended William Shrewsbury Primary School and de Ferrers Academy.[4][5] He read History and Politics at the University of Nottingham and specialised in post-Second World War British politics.[5] Collier was elected as Community Officer for the University of Nottingham Students' Union.[6] He became chair of Nottingham Labour Students before graduating in 2018.[7]
Before politics Collier worked in communications for Thera, a company working with people with learning disabilities and from 2021 was a communications officer at the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, where he was also a union representative for Unison.[8][5][7][9] Collier voted leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum but has said he since regrets doing so.[10]