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Researchers are embarking on increasingly diverse careers where collaboration, networking and interdisciplinarity are becoming more important. Transferable skills (e.g. communication skills and problem-solving abilities) can help researchers operate more effectively in different work environments. While researchers acquire some of these skills in the course of studies and work, attention is turning to the role of formal training. This study analyses countries' government and institutional level policies on formal training in transferable skills for researchers, from doctoral students through to experienced research managers. It draws on results from a cross-country policy questionnaire on transferable skills training strategies and programs, including formal training and workplace-based options, as well as discussions at a policy-oriented workshop with OECD delegates and experts. The study represents a first step to analysing transferable skills for researchers in OECD countries. The study points to the significant role of individual institutions in setting strategies and providing transferable skills training programs. While the scope for governments to improve on current arrangements is difficult to assess, the study suggests policy makers could boost policy monitoring and evaluation, facilitate dialogue between academia and industry, encourage workplace-based training options, and leverage collaborative research to support transferable skills training for researchers at all levels.

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Education stakeholders are beginning to find some agreement in the idea that teacher appraisal can be a key lever for focusing more on teaching quality and continuous professional development teachers, in keeping with the growing recognition that the quality of teaching affects student learning outcomes. Teacher appraisal also provides opportunities to incentivise, recognise and reward teaching competence and high performance, which, in turn, may help to address concerns about the attractiveness of teaching as a career choice and about the image and status of teachings, including teachers' feelings that their work is not sufficiently valued.

The third International Summit on the Teaching Profession, hosted by the Netherlands, the OECD and Education International, brings together stakeholders from high-performing and rapidly improving education systems, as measured by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), to discuss how teacher quality is defined and what standards are set and by whom; what systems are in place for teacher evaluation and how evaluations are conducted; and how teacher evaluation contributes to school improvement and teacher self-efficacy. This publication underpins the 2013 Summit with available research about effective approaches to teacher appraisal and examples of reforms that have produced specific results, show promise of illustrate imaginative ways of implementing change.

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The chapters are as follows: Introduction; Standards and governance of teacher appraisal; Procedures for teacher appraisal; Capacity for teacher appraisal; Using the results from teacher appraisal; Towards a coherent approach to evaluation and accountability; Effective teacher evaluation: transforming a game into a game-changer; Annex A: selected comparative data on education from OECD sources. Show less

This conference paper focuses on training provided by firms. Many empirical studies demonstrate considerable variation across countries and across socio-economic groups in training participation rates, with Nordic countries showing higher participation than Southern European countries, and low-educated and older workers generally participating less than other groups in training activities. To investigate the reasons for this situation, the authors examine both the theoretical underpinnings and the empirical evidence in support of the under-provision of training. Under-provision is used to denote when 'training is below its efficient level, which equalises marginal social benefits to marginal social costs'. The authors argue that, if firms invest in general training, important evidence on under-provision can be gathered by examining the relationship between investment in training and labour turnover. They find evidence of a 'statistically significant and positive relationship between employer-provided training and subsequent turnover' for Denmark, Belgium, France and the UK. In the remaining countries the relationship is either not statistically significant or negative and statistically significant, as in the case of Finland. The evidence that, in no country except Finland, training significantly decreases the quit rate is suggestive of under-provision. The authors suggest that policies which aim at increasing the level of training above the market level should be designed to affect either supply or demand, or both.

Selected papers from the conference are indexed from TD/TNC 87.81 to TD/TNC 87.84. Show less

This book compiles policy lessons on reallocation of the public workforce, managing competencies, and fostering diversity. It finds that for the public service to make a contribution and underpin the economic recovery and growth, it needs to modernise its governance structures. Civil service systems are at the core of public management, hence they are central to governmental effectiveness. In the current context, countries need to: ensure that the public workforce is motivated and committed to delivery, and to produce change as demanded despite the need for pay restraints and redundancies. Investments in the quality of people management, strategic workforce planning, competencies and diversity of the public workforce are critical to make the public workforce more competent, flexible and adaptable in order to have a competitive, innovative and inclusive public sector. Governments have to maintain and improve the capacity of the public service while at the same time producing savings. The key issue is seeing the public workforce as an asset and not as a cost. It is suggested that the reasons why OECD member countries face difficulties in evaluating workforce diversity policies and programs are: unclear objectives; lack of strategic planning and vision; and poor-quality data on workforce diversity. Experience suggests that diversity policies and programs should be assessed on a regular basis under the umbrella of a long-term evaluation framework, clear conceptual foundations, and a methodology for data collection and analysis. One of the biggest challenges is to make reform sustainable. Show less

Innovation holds the key to ongoing improvements in living standards, as well as to solving pressing social challenges. Skilled people play a crucial role in innovation through the new knowledge they generate, how they adopt and develop existing ideas, and through their ability to learn new competencies and adapt to a changing environment. This book seeks to increase understanding of the links between skills and innovation. It explores the wide range of skills required, ranging from technical to 'soft', and the ability to learn; it presents data and evidence on countries' stocks and flows of skills and the links between skill inputs and innovation outputs. Given the importance of meeting the demands of knowledge-based economic activity, the book investigates the issues of skill supply, education, workplace training and work organisation. It highlights the importance of enabling individuals to acquire appropriate skills and of optimising these at work.

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The Japan Institute of Labour (JIL) with the support of the Japanese Government, the OECD and the ILO has been convening the Workshop on International Migration and the Labour Market since 1995 to exchange information on current international labour migration issues. This report is based on the eighth workshop which focused on international migration of the highly skilled. The report provides an analysis of recent trends in migration movements and policies in Asia. It highlights the contribution of immigration to the labour force and describes the changes that have taken place in the sectoral distribution of foreign workers. Particular attention is paid to human resource development and mobility of the highly skilled against the background of globalisation. Individual reviews of recent developments in migration trends and policies in Australia, China, Hong Kong (China), Chinese Tapei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, are provided. Cross-country comparisons can be made using the detailed statistics on the inflow and stocks of foreign workers and information pertaining to their situation on the labour market.

The document contains two major sections: The movement of the highly-skilled in Asia; and Country studies. The chapters are: Introduction / Ronald Skeldon; The movement of the highly-skilled in Asia: present situation and future prospect / Yasushi Iguchi; International migration of highly skilled workers in Thailand / Yongyuth Chalamwong; Highly skilled Asian workers in the United States / Philip Martin; Skilled labour mobility: review of issues and evidence / International Labour Office; Australia / Graeme Hugo; Recent situation of economic development and migration employment in China / Zhang Feng; Hong Kong (China) / Stephen W. K. Chiu; Foreign workers in Chinese Taipei / Joseph S. Lee; Indonesia / Tara Bakti Soeprobo; Changes in labour market and international migration under rapid economic adjustment in Japan / Yasushi Iguchi; Korea / Kil-Sang Yoo; Economic slowdown and its impact on cross-national migration and policy on alien employment in Malaysia / Azizah Kassim; Recent trends in migration movements and policies: the movement of Filipino professionals and managers / Stella P. Go; Singapore / Mui Teng Yap; Economic stagnation, the labour market and international migration in Thailand / Yongyuth Chalamwong; International migration of highly skilled workers in Vietnam / Nguyen Xuan Nguyen.

The report resulting from the seventh workshop held in 2001 is indexed at TD/TNC 69.310. Show less

This research review reports on articles presenting empirical research in the area of how teacher-training institutions work on preparing future teachers for the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in their future classrooms. It was conducted mainly in English and French and covers research in 11 OECD-countries during the years 2002-2009. The research is unanimous, even if it is not comprehensive, and it shows that ICT is not used regularly or systematically in the countries reviewed. There are good examples, carried out by enthusiastic teacher trainers, but only a minority of the student teachers benefit from this. Very few articles report innovative use of recent technology. Most of the research reports on the use of computers and traditional computer software. Overall, student teachers do not integrate technology into their teaching. A number of reasons for this are identified. The overall picture is that implementation is necessary at all levels (macro, meso, micro) for a successful outcome, but research also gives examples of how problems can be overcome at a micro-level, which is the level of the actors’ pedagogical practice. Enthusiasts do seem to have room for maneuver, but the lack of incentives makes it difficult to involve everyone. According to the presented research, the following is needed: policy level: define clear expectations, carry out evaluations and give room for enough flexibility for the changing field; management level: offer career possibilities, relevant incentives and suitable equipment, define clear expectations on cooperating schools and mentor teachers in addition to what is already mentioned for a policy level; and local actors level (teacher trainers, mentor teachers and student teachers): ensure basic technological skills, integrate technology as a natural part in subject courses as well as internship, and learn about pupils’ technological worlds.

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The compounding effect of looming skills shortages in a wide range of occupations and a shrinking workforce in many countries may constitute a barrier to implementing green growth strategies and transition towards greener economies. In this context, international recruitment can help adjust supply and demand for skills and thereby speed up the green transition. This policy brief looks at the potential role of migrant and already established migrants in responding to looming skills needs as a result of the green transition in OECD countries.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Improving the performance of youth on the labour market is a crucial challenge in OECD countries facing persistent youth unemployment. As labour markets become more and more selective, a lack of relevant skills brings a higher risk of unemployment. Whatever the level of qualification, first experiences on the labour market have a profound influence on later working life. Getting off to a good start facilitates integration and lays the foundation for a good career, while a failure can be difficult to make up. Ensuring a good start will require co-ordinated policies to bring the education system closer to the labour market, to help disadvantaged young people to find a job or participate in a training course and to facilitate the hiring of young people by firms. OECD has launched a series of reports on the school-to-work transition process in 16 countries including the United States. [This] report contains a survey of the main barriers to employment for young people [in the United States], an assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of existing measures to improve the transition from school-to-work, and a set of policy recommendations for further action by the public authorities and social partners. This report is based on the proceedings of a seminar and is published in English [with a] French translation of the summary and main recommendations.

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While some countries have taken positive actions in terms of nuclear education and training, in a number of others human resources could soon be facing serious challenges in coping with existing and potential new nuclear facilities. This is exacerbated by the increasing rate of retirement as the workforce ages. This report provides a qualitative characterisation of human resource needs and appraises instruments and programs in nuclear education and training initiated in a number of countries. It also outlines a job taxonomy which could be a basis for addressing the needs of workers across this sector, and examines the current and future uses of nuclear research facilities for education and training purposes.

Published abstract.

The chapters are as follows: A decade of change; Review of nuclear education and associated facilities; Towards a blueprint for workforce development; Ensuring capability: the recommendations; Appendices. Show less