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Investing in skills for sustainable growth

This document sets out an investment strategy for the further education system in the UK that will deliver a truly ... Show more
This document sets out an investment strategy for the further education system in the UK that will deliver a truly lifelong approach to learning, nurturing sustainable economic growth and social renewal. The document outlines how the government plans to: reduce bureaucracy; remove unnecessary interference from intermediary agencies whether local, regional or national; streamline the organisational skills landscape; remove unnecessary regulation; and, introduce new freedoms and flexibilities. The strategy is based on three principles: (1) fairness, where those most in need are those least able to help themselves, so special attention will be paid to young people and those without basic literacy and numeracy skills; (2) shared responsibility for skill development, including government, employers and citizens; and (3) greater freedom in terms of abolishing bureaucratic impediments and trusting people to do their job.
Excerpt from publication. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain; England ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Government information

Subjects: Higher education; Sustainability; Economics ... [+] Show more
Seizing the data opportunity: a strategy for UK data capability

[This report contains a] Government strategy, produced in partnership with industry and academia, that sets directi ... Show more
[This report contains a] Government strategy, produced in partnership with industry and academia, that sets direction and leadership for UK data capability. This includes several aspects: (1) human capital: a skilled workforce, and data-confident citizens; (2) the tools and infrastructure which are available to store and analyse data; and (3) data as an enabler: the ability of consumers, businesses and academia to access and share data appropriately. This strategy includes measures to: (1) build capability in the commercial, academic and public sector; (2) strengthen skills focused at schools, higher and further education; (3) continue professional development; and (4) ensure that the UK's infrastructure and [research and development] R&D environment supports improved data capability.
Excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government report or paper

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Workforce development; Governance
Evaluation of National Skills Academies

In 2008 the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) and Ipsos MORI were commissioned to conduct a two-year evaluatio ... Show more
In 2008 the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) and Ipsos MORI were commissioned to conduct a two-year evaluation of National Skills Academies (NSAs) by the former Learning and Skills Council (LSC), now the Skills Funding Agency. NSAs were first established from 2006 and have been rolled out incrementally over five rounds of development so far, under a competitive bidding process. NSAs were set up to be employer-led centres of excellence in learning and form part of successive government strategies to increase employer engagement with, and leadership in, vocational education and training, and improve the skills available in the working population. This report synthesises evidence gathered over both years of the evaluation across the following strands: a review of documentary evidence including NSA Business Plans, and 3-Year Reviews for the four Round 1 NSAs; three rounds of interviews with NSAs themselves; two rounds of interviews with NSA stakeholders (including major employers on NSA Boards and learning providers involved with NSAs); detailed case studies of NSA activity; qualitative research with employers involved with NSAs; and surveys of employers in NSA sectors and learners registered on NSA-endorsed courses. The report covers the first 10 NSAs to become operational: four approved in Round 1 (Construction, Financial Services, Food and Drink Manufacturing), four in Round 2 (Creative and Cultural Skills, Hospitality, Nuclear, Process Industries), and two from Round 3 (Retail and Sport and Active Leisure). The longest that any of the NSAs had been in operation by the end of the evaluation period was just over three years.
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Authors: Johnson, Claire; Hillage, Jim; Miller, Linda; Bellis, Anne ... [+] Show more

Corporate authors: Institute for Employment Studies (Great Britain) (IES) ... [+] Show more

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: BIS research paper

Subjects: Industry; Skills and knowledge; Workforce development ... [+] Show more
The Quality Assurance System for post-16 education and training provision: overarching framework

Delivering world-class skills and our commitment to raise the participation age requires all learning provision - f ... Show more
Delivering world-class skills and our commitment to raise the participation age requires all learning provision - for young people and for adults - to be of the highest quality. This document gives an overview of how the Quality Assurance System will work. The Quality Assurance System aims to: (1) Improve the quality of post-16 education and training consistently through robust self-evaluation and appropriate support and challenge; (2) Provide accurate and appropriate information about the quality and range of education and training provision, to enable learners and employers to make informed decisions about where and what they want to learn and to enable commissioners to fund provision that meets the needs of learners and employers; (3) Give learners and employers confidence that the programme they choose will be delivered to the highest possible standards; and (4) Assure those who pay for the learning that their investment is making a real difference and leading to a world-class education service.
Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) ... [+] Show more

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Guide

Subjects: Quality; Providers of education and training; Teaching and learning ... [+] Show more
Traineeships: supporting young people to develop the skills for apprenticeships and other sustained jobs: a discussion paper

[This document] sets out the coalition government’s aspirations for its new Traineeships program in England and inv ... Show more
[This document] sets out the coalition government’s aspirations for its new Traineeships program in England and invites responses to the proposals. [It] describes the challenges facing unemployed young people, including, in some cases, a lack of the key skills and experiences needed to compete in the labour market. [It] explains that the government’s aim is to establish the Traineeships program as the preferred route for young people who aspire to apprenticeships or other jobs and who need additional training to reach their goals. [It] suggests that the most effective approaches to supporting young people to rapidly develop the work skills and experience they need to find sustainable employment include: flexible and personalised approaches fitting closely with the individual needs and aspirations of young people; development of skills in English and maths; workplace experience; and mentoring. [It] provides an overview of how the Traineeship program might work and proposes a model for the program involving three core elements: a focused period of work preparation training; a high-quality work placement; and English and maths for young people who have not achieved a [General Certificate of Secondary Education] GCSE Grade C or equivalent. [It] considers possible routes for delivering Traineeships through education and training providers working in partnership with employers. [The document] highlights the importance of encouraging employers to offer high quality work placements.
Excerpts from Skills Development Scotland website with additions. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Education (DfE) ... [+] Show more

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government report or paper

Subjects: Traineeship; Youth; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more
Effectiveness of European Social Fund delivery

This research aims to inform the forthcoming negotiations for the European Structural and Cohesion programs to run ... Show more
This research aims to inform the forthcoming negotiations for the European Structural and Cohesion programs to run from 2014 to 2020. It looks at how the European Social Fund (ESF) might be used to promote economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities through supporting activity around self-employment, entrepreneurship and the providing of re-skilling opportunities. The research was based around Manchester and Newcastle to gain insights into how ESF delivery arrangements are working at the local level, and how they might best serve city-level priorities in the future. Although current ESF delivery is seen as contributing to addressing employability and skills concerns, a number of clear issues for consideration emerged from the study. For some, current provision is viewed as too generic, partly because it is delivered through large contracts rather than being more locally focused and oriented around meeting specific local needs.
Published abstract. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: England; Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government report or paper

Subjects: Economics; Employment; Skills and knowledge ... [+] Show more
Supporting analysis for 'Skills for growth: the national skills strategy'

The UK government published the National Skills Strategy in November 2009 setting out the active skills approach to ... Show more
The UK government published the National Skills Strategy in November 2009 setting out the active skills approach to equip the UK's workforce for globalisation and to compete in the industries of the future. This paper sets out the evidence that has informed development of the strategy; the importance of skills in the global economy; progress towards ambitions for skills attainment; the role for government; and the performance of current policies.
Excerpt from publication. Show less

Authors: Adey, M. A.; Bryce, Andrew; Bursnall, Matthew; Butcher, Bob ... [+] Show more

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2010

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: BIS economics paper

Subjects: Economics; Globalisation; Policy ... [+] Show more
Rigour and responsiveness in skills

A highly skilled workforce is needed for the UK to compete successfully, but skills shortages remain. The skills sy ... Show more
A highly skilled workforce is needed for the UK to compete successfully, but skills shortages remain. The skills system is confusing and often changes, with little employer engagement and an acceptance of poor provision. The UK government initiated the 2010 national skills strategy 'Investing in skills for sustainable growth' with the aim of improving the system. The next step is to make it more rigorous and responsive to need. Vocational qualifications must be rigorous so they qualify a worker to practise in their chosen role. The government aims to achieve this through a responsive system that ensures the flexibility for education and training providers to deliver what learners and employers really want. This publication explains how the government plans to: raise standards by making the system more professional and intervening in poor provision; create traineeships to prepare young people for work; reform and improve the quality of Apprenticeships; make qualifications relevant and valued; use funding to make provision more responsive; and give employers and individuals the information to make the right choices.
Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Education (DfE) ... [+] Show more

Date: 2013

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government information

Subjects: Apprenticeship; Traineeship; Qualifications ... [+] Show more
Advanced manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing describes businesses which use a high level of design or scientific skills to produce techno ... Show more
Advanced manufacturing describes businesses which use a high level of design or scientific skills to produce technologically complex products and processes. Because of the specialised requirements involved, these are usually goods and associated services of high value. This document sets out what the UK Government is doing to take action across a range of areas to complement industry's efforts to unlock the huge potential in advanced manufacturing, including a significant package of new measures.
Excerpts from publication. Show less

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2009

Geographic subjects: Europe; Great Britain

Resource type: Industry information

Subjects: Vocational education and training; Technology; Higher education ... [+] Show more
Review of research and evaluation on improving adult literacy and numeracy skills

The purposes of this literature review are threefold. First, this review summarises findings of the research from t ... Show more
The purposes of this literature review are threefold. First, this review summarises findings of the research from the last decade in six fields identified by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as critical to its forward planning: (1) the economic, personal and social returns to learning; (2) the quality and effectiveness of provision; (3) the number of learning hours needed for skills gain; (4) learner persistence; (5) the retention and loss of skills over time; and (6) the literacy and numeracy skills that are needed. Second, the review assesses this evidence base in terms of its quality and robustness, identifying gaps and recommending ways in which the evidence base can be extended and improved. Thirdly, the review attempts to interpret the evidence base to suggest, where possible, how returns to [adult literacy and numeracy] ALN learning for individuals, employers and wider society might be increased through effective and cost-effective interventions. The review was undertaken by SQW Consulting, [National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy] NRDC and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The age range to be covered by this review was from 19 upwards, and evidence was to be drawn primarily from English-language and UK-based sources.
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Authors: Vorhaus, John; Litster, Jennifer; Frearson, Michael; Johnson, Stuart

Corporate authors: Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Date: 2011

Geographic subjects: Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Government report or paper

Series name: BIS research paper

Subjects: Literacy; Research; Numeracy ... [+] Show more