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National Training Organisations (NTOs) were launched in 1996 with the vision being for each NTO to become the automatic preferred point of reference for strategic leadership and practical guidance on skills and qualifications needs for a defined employment sector and/or range of occupations. This report is based on a 1999 survey which was conducted to determine baseline data on the percentage and profile of employers in the United Kingdom who are aware of NTOs, understand the purpose of NTOs, and use their service. Information provided in this report includes an outline of the survey methodology and baseline statistics relating to awareness, understanding, usage and rating of NTOs and their services. Show less

This report examines the impact of training on firm employment growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The report uses the methodological framework outlined in 'Methodological approaches to the study of the impact of training on firm performance' by A. Hughes and M. Weeks and an updated version of the Centre for Business Research's (CBR) SME dataset. A key objective of this study was to examine the relative benefit of utilising alternative measures of training activity on firm employment growth. The report concludes by exploring the implications of the findings of the study for further work in this area. Show less

The Connexions strategy brings together a number of existing and new initiatives aimed at young people in England. This document sets out the details of the various initiatives within the strategy. It covers the new Connexions Service, ideas for a new wide-ranging way of recognising teenagers' achievements, financial support and the wider education and training policies. The Connexions Service will help support and guide young people through their teenage years. The document is set out in two parts. Part one (chapters one to four) explains the context for the Connexions strategy, the policies for young people and the overall framework for ensuring high levels of participation and attainment in learning. The second part (chapters five to eight) focuses on the new Connexions Service. Show less

To make an evaluation of government export promotion policies and subsequent strategic development in education and training, you need a reliable estimate of the current value of education and training exports. Research into identifying the primary sources of export in the education and training sector is the focus of this report. It aims to provide a defensible estimate of the volume of education and training exports from the United Kingdom and to make recommendations on how this estimate could be updated in the future at low cost. Show less

Young people who do badly in their GCSE examinations at age 16 present two challenges for social policy. The first is to minimise the numbers getting poor results while maintaining credible academic standards in examinations. The second is to mitigate the consequences of poor results by providing opportunities for low achievers to improve their qualifications. It is the second of the challenges that this report addresses. It aims to inform the policy debate on how best to provide for these young people through a detailed study of a cohort of low achievers who reached the end of their compulsory schooling in 1995. This report is not about the causes of low achievement. It is about the recent trends in low achievement, and about how the routes low achievers took after age sixteen differed from those taken by young people with better examination results. The report tracks the low achievers' progress after age sixteen over two and a half years, looking at their educational participation, work-based training, employment, any further qualifications that are gained and their satisfaction with the way that things worked out for them. Show less

The National Skills Task Force has been established by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to assist him in developing a National Skills Agenda. The Task Force was asked to provide advice on the nature, extent and pattern of skill needs and shortages, including associated recruitment difficulties, how these are likely to change and what can be done to ease such problems. This paper is one of a series that has been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.as been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.

This paper examines the extent, nature and implications of spatial variations in skill levels across England. Following the introduction, Section 2 examines the reasons why skills are important to localities. In addition to the obvious potential for stimulating employment, earnings and living standards, the authors identify other important reasons such as globalisation, which is increasing competitive pressure both nationally and internationally, technological change which is transforming work organisation, and the consequent importance of ensuring that skill deficiencies and gaps are addressed. Section 3 looks at the extent and nature of spatial skill variations in the workforce as a whole and with young people at school. In Section 4 the authors look at the variations locally within 3 levels - at age 11, age 16 and in the workforce as a whole. Section 5 concentrates on the effects that spatial skill variations have on local economic performance - employment, competitiveness, earning and deprivation. Finally, Section 6 presents the implications for policy and future research and summarises the conclusions. The authors maintain that spatial skill variations are substantial at all levels of qualification both for young people and the workforce as a whole and that they are systematic, in that low skill localities are generally low skill at age 11, age 16 and in the workforce as a whole.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.645 and from TD/TNC 62.647 to TD/TNC 62.651. Show less

Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and Chambers of Commerce, Training and Enterprise (CCTE) are required to promote equality of opportunity. In support of this they are required to have equal opportunity strategies setting out plans to eliminate any gaps and steps to be taken to promote equality of opportunity on government supported training programs. In 1997 the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) introduced a national standard for TEC/CCTE equal opportunity strategies. The standard focused on gender, ethnicity and disability in particular. This report presents the findings of an evaluation that focused on the implementation of the national standard. It explored how TEC/CCTEs devised strategies and their success in meeting the standard. It must be noted that none of the strategies that were evaluated met the standard in full, although eight were well on the way to meeting it. Show less

The Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) Discretionary Fund (TDF) was introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) during 1996 and 1997 to assist TECs in realising their corporate plans and to maximise leverage from the private sector. TECs can bid for project funding with up to 50 per cent of total project costs available, with at least matching contributions required from the private sector. This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the TDF undertaken on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) by York Consulting Limited. The evaluation: (a) assessed the success of the bidding process in developing projects and achieving TDF objectives; (b) examined the performance of projects in securing private sector leverage and delivering objectives; (c) established how TDF is being used in support of TECs' local economic strategies; (d) identified examples of good practice; and (e) made recommendations for future operation of the fund. The analysis was based on interviews with TECs in the focus regions and case studies of four TECs. The evaluation indicates that the TDF has generally been successful in addressing its objectives. Its flexibility and minimal bureaucracy were highly rated by Government Offices and TECs. It has been particularly successful in allowing TECs to target areas they regard as a priority and, in this respect, it is integrated with their local economic development strategies. Show less

This report describes the characteristics of the unemployed from the Family and Working Lives Survey (FWLS). The intention was to analyse the characteristics of the unemployed to begin to answer some questions. How does an individual's unemployment history interact with other aspects of personal history and with general economic events? How does the labour market status of partners interact when one of them becomes unemployed? What is the effect of benefit receipt on re-employment probabilities? What are the effects of training on various types of re-employment probabilities following unemployment? What are the destinations of the long-term unemployed? What are the job search methods of the unemployed? This report identifies the most important determinants of the duration and incidence of individual unemployment and how these compare and contrast. Show less

A National Skills Task Force was established to assist the UK government in developing a National Skills Agenda. The Task Force provided evidence on the nature, extent and pattern of skill needs and shortages in the UK and possible directions for their future development. This evidence was summarised in 'Skills for all: research report from the National Skills Task Force', published in June 2000 (indexed at TD/TNC 62.657). This report is one of a number of associated reports containing detailed information on various aspects of this research. These reports are indexed from TD/TNC 65.225 to TD/TNC 65.232. Other reports related to the National Skills Task Force are indexed from TD/TNC 62.653 to TD/TNC 62.656 and at TD/TNC 62.658.

The aim of this report is to provide a detailed assessment of skill needs and the extent and impact of skill deficiencies within the telecommunications sector which is changing rapidly under the combined impact of technological and market changes as well as the effects of deregulation. The report is based on 10 case studies from a cross-section of this sector and contains the following sections: Executive summary; Aims and context; Industry context, case studies and methodology; Products, process and markets; Human resource policies and practices; Knowledge and skill needs; Recruitment difficulties; Skill gaps. References and appendices are also included. Show less