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This report presents the findings of a survey designed to provide new evidence about self-employed people. The number of self-employed people in the UK increased by over half a million between 2010 and 2015, accounting for over a quarter of the growth in total employment over that period. Previous research has shown that self-employed people are a diverse group, so there are likely to be many reasons for their choice of being self-employed. This survey aims to develop understanding of these reasons and the wider impact of this growth in self-employment. The survey covers: why and how people choose to enter and remain in self-employment; how they view their situation; the difficulties they faced; and how they manage their life in self-employment.

Key findings include: self-employment is a positive choice for the majority but for some it is less of a proactive choice and can be precarious; most plan to stay in self-employment; most self-employed people have no ambition to be employers; the self-employed feel their lives are better overall and over half think they are better off financially; most self-employed people have additional sources of income; some do experience big problems but they are not universal; the areas where more people report big problems tend to relate to planning; there does not appear to be a problem with support to set up in self-employment; working or cooperating with other self-employed people and businesses is common; and more money or security were the main attraction for those who had left self-employment and become employees.

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The evaluation, which sits alongside the Apprenticeships Evaluation Learner Survey, consisted of quantitative interviews with 4,000 employers that had had individuals complete an apprenticeship between March and October 2014. The research is intended to monitor key progress indicators and to develop understanding of the apprenticeship programme and the value it delivers. It provides insight into the impact of recent policy reforms and will help shape future development (and growth) of the programme. Specifically the research covered employers' experience of offering apprenticeships: who they took on and to what types of apprenticeship; their motivations for offering apprenticeships; the way the apprenticeships were delivered; the outcomes for their apprentices; and the satisfaction of employers and their future intentions.

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This research looked at National Careers Service (NCS) [formerly, pre-April 2012, Next Step] users satisfaction and progression after their telephone call, meeting with an adviser or visit to the website. The survey took place between April 2013 and March 2014.

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The Skills for Life 2011 Survey (SfL2011) was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and designed to measure basic skills amongst people aged between 16 and 65 (inclusive) in England. In a large part, the survey replicated the Skills for Life 2003 Survey (SfL2003), using the same literacy and numeracy tools to assess people's skills. The aim of SfL2011 was to provide an evidence base upon which the government could judge what progress has been made on literacy and numeracy amongst adults of working age in England since 2003, while providing robust evidence on the standard of [information and communication technology] ICT skills in the population. This was achieved by administering 25-minute-long, computerised assessments in literacy, numeracy and ICT topics to respondents during their interviews. Additional information was collected from respondents during the face-to-face interviews to help understand the demographic, social and motivational factors related to basic skills. In all, 7,230 interviews were conducted between May 2010 and February 2011. Literacy levels were established for 5,824 individuals, and numeracy levels for 5,823 individuals. Over 2,220 people were rated on one or more of their ICT skills: specifically, 2,253 on their word processing abilities, 2,247 on their email skills, 2,228 on their skills in using spreadsheets, and 2,274 on their general ICT knowledge (based on answers given to a multiple choice questionnaire). This report presents the main findings from SfL2011.

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[This report presents the] results of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Survey of Adult Skills for England. The OECD survey is based on tests of adult skills in literacy, numeracy and problem solving, conducted across 25 countries in 2012. This report highlights skill levels in England in comparison to other countries. It also examines: (1) relationships between skill levels and personal characteristics; (2) use of skills in work and in everyday life; and (3) characteristics related to having low skills and comparison with previous international surveys.

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This report presents the technical details and core methodology of the National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS) 2009. It covers sampling, questionnaire design, fieldwork and response rates, and analysis and weighting.

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International student mobility, especially diploma mobility (students taking their entire degree outside the UK), has received little attention from researchers. This report summarises the findings of research funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) aimed at improving understanding of the motivations behind the international diploma mobility of UK students. It also seeks to evaluate the scale and significance of UK international diploma mobility. The research on which this report is based had two general aims: (1) to improve understanding of the motivations behind diploma mobility and the career aspirations of those who choose to study abroad; and (2) to evaluate the scale and significance of international diploma mobility of English students. The report is organised in three main sections. First, a review is offered of secondary data relating to UK diploma mobility. The second section of the report analyses the survey of school pupils and the interviews with school careers guidance teachers. The third main part of the report describes the results of the international student survey. It then seeks an explanation of the motivations for studying abroad before considering what have been the experiences of UK internationally diploma-mobile students and whether they are likely to return to work in the UK after graduation.

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This report presents the findings of a survey of over 12,000 apprentices in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who were asked about their: (1) pay; (2) working hours; and (3) amount of training they received as part of their apprenticeship. The results are given for the various apprenticeship frameworks: (1) subjects and industrial sectors; (2) level and the age; and (3) gender and ethnicity of apprentices. Comparisons are also shown between these results and those collected in a similar survey in 2011.

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The evaluation, which sits alongside the Apprenticeship Evaluation Employer Survey, consisted of quantitative interviews with 5,000 Level 2 and 3 apprentices, as well as 800 higher apprentices, to explore their views of their apprenticeship. The research is intended to help monitor key progress indicators and develop a greater understanding of recent policy reforms that will help shape future development of the programme. Specifically it covered individuals' motivations for undertaking an apprenticeship, their experience of the training they received, their satisfaction with the apprenticeship and the impact this has had on their career.

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The National Adult Learner Survey (NALS) is a series used by [Department for Business, Innovation and Skills] BIS and its predecessor departments to look at a variety of aspects of adult participation in learning beyond compulsory continuous education. The 2010 survey is the fifth such survey with previous releases in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005. Fieldwork took place between January and August 2010, with a short break in the run up to the General Election. A total of 4,647 interviews with 16-24 year olds not in continuous full-time education and those aged 25 and over were conducted with a response rate of 57 per cent. The 2010 survey covered England only; this differed from previous surveys which also included Wales and Scotland. Participation in learning was subdivided into three main categories: (1) formal learning designed to lead to a nationally recognised qualification; (2) non-formal learning, being a taught class but not leading to a qualification; and (3) informal learning involving self-study to improve knowledge of a subject. The key predictors of participation in learning are unchanged; they are prior engagement in learning and educational attainment. Learners are more likely than non-learners to appreciate the wider benefits of learning, meaning that they are more willing to move beyond formal learning to include non-formal and informal learning. They are also more willing to contribute towards the cost of learning which is key given finite public resources and the need to rebalance the financial contribution borne by the individual, the employer and the state. It is also important to note that those in learning are undertaking more than recorded in 2005. Clearly then the challenge is to promote the value and wider benefits of learning to those with low prior qualifications, widening awareness of learning opportunities and addressing the finding that those with low or no qualification often lacked the confidence to learn. Accessible and effective [information, advice and guidance] IAG would appear to be one possible solution that would address several of these barriers to wider participation. Another would be to ensure that more people leave compulsory education with at least Level 2 qualifications, which, among a vast array of other benefits, is the threshold above which participation in further learning is highest.

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