Skills development: attitudes and perceptions: final report March 2008

The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development undertook this international research project to build an understanding of current issues faced by those with a stake in skills training around the world - employers, practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The aim of the research was to enable the Centre to identify the key priorities for those engaged in vocational education and training today, and in turn identify priorities for the Centre's future programme of work. The research took place in three stages: desk research, qualitative research (focus groups and in-depth interviews) and a quantitative survey. For the quantitative phase, 2,000 employers and practitioners were interviewed across nine different countries - Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, India, Malaysia, South Africa and the UK. These countries were chosen for the variety of their economic, social, political and educational systems. Practitioners hailed from a mix of publicly and privately funded institutions, and employers varied by both size and sector (manufacturing, hotels & restaurants, retail, construction and utilities). Many of the terms used will have been interpreted differently by stakeholder groups and different countries. It should also be noted that the questionnaire was translated for Danish, German and Hungarian respondents. Caution should therefore be taken in comparing and contrasting between countries without considering the language and cultural implications. Despite the diversity of the countries surveyed, there were four themes common to all: (1) Quality of provision: are people being given the best possible preparation for work? (2) Supply and demand: how can we forecast and balance supply and demand in skills? (3) Employer engagement: are employers sufficiently engaged in vocational education and training? (4) Esteem: how can we improve the perception of vocational education and training? These themes now constitute the four key strategic objectives of the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development.

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The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development undertook this international research project to build an understanding of current issues faced by those with a stake in skills training around the world - employers, practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The aim of the research was to enable the Centre to identify the key priorities for those engaged in vocational education and training today, and in turn identify priorities for the Centre's future programme of work. The research took place in three stages: desk research, qualitative research (focus groups and in-depth ...  [+] Show more