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This report provides an economic analysis of the further education (FE) market in England. FE in England refers to any study taken after the age of 16 that is not part of higher education (that is, not taken as part of an undergraduate or post-graduate degree). It is delivered by a range of public, private and voluntary sector providers and, in general, equips a learner for further learning, including higher education, or for employment. It also plays an important role in reaching out to disadvantaged groups to encourage their participation in learning when they otherwise might not. To inform decisions about how best to fund and regulate the FE market so that it can deliver effectively for learners and employers and contribute to a skilled and productive workforce, this report has four key objectives. They are to: (1) describe the FE market and its sub 'markets': the economic structure, policy landscape and key players in the market; (2) investigate the extent to which features are observed in the FE market and its sub 'markets' that are common to well-functioning markets and to identify where such features would not be appropriate given the wider objectives of FE; (3) identify the barriers that prevent the FE 'markets' from functioning effectively; and therefore (4) stimulate discussion of priorities for policy intervention to improve effectiveness.

The focus in this report is on the publicly funded components of the FE market and not the wide range of education and training that is privately funded by employers for their staff. Also excluded is other study that FE providers may offer within the school and higher education systems, e.g. vocational provision for 14-16 year olds. The analysis draws on three substantive forms of evidence: a review of published literature, a quantitative analysis of data, and around 60 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders across the market.

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Data indicates that computer science graduates are more likely to be unemployed six months after graduating than the average graduate and [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] STEM graduates in particular. Employment outcomes for computer science graduates significantly improve 3.5 years after graduation although they are still lower compared to other graduates. These findings are seemingly contradictory to evidence of increasing employer demand for digital skills and above average levels of recruitment difficulty in the [information and communications technology] ICT sector. This research explores the reasons behind the poor employment record of computer science graduates through interviews with graduates with an undergraduate computer science degree. The interviews covered graduates' views on their degree and their subsequent employment experience, along with steps they have taken to enter employment since graduation. The findings suggest that the overarching issue for the computer science graduates interviewed is not that they don’t eventually achieve positive employment outcomes - because virtually all were in work at the time of interviewing - but that they are relatively slow to move into work.

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This document sets out the UK government's plan to support young people and adults to secure skilled employment and meet the needs of the economy. It is based on the report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education chaired by David Sainsbury. The document contains the following sections: Our vision for a reformed system; A reformed technical education option; Taking forward new technical routes extending to the highest levels of skilled employment; Ensuring the new system works for everyone; Strong and dynamic providers; Enabling factors; Meeting short-term skills pressures; Road map for reform. The plan presents the vision for the system but more detail will emerge as plans are developed in consultation with employers, colleges and other training providers.

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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 publication considers the equality impacts of the postgraduate master's loans policy on protected and disadvantaged groups. It outlines these impacts, based on a review of the available research and analysis.

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In response to UK government reports that only six per cent of people with learning difficulties are currently in employment, a taskforce was formed to examine the accessibility of apprenticeships for people with learning disabilities. The aim is to see training opportunities and apprenticeships made more accessible so that young people with learning disabilities are more easily able to enter the workforce. Working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE) the task force aimed to create three million apprenticeships by 2020 and halve the disability gap. The taskforce, led by Paul Maynard and including employers, training providers, charities and educational experts, met three times throughout May and June: once to identify issues, then to explore solutions and finally to form recommendations to make to ministers.

These two documents contain the recommendations of the taskforce and the response from the government response through BIS and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Show less

Maintaining a vibrant UK oil and gas industry is critical - the industry is a key contributor to [gross domestic product] GDP, to tax revenues, and an important source of exports. This is why both the UK Government and Scottish Government are working to support the sector. The future success of the industry will depend on retaining access to a skilled workforce. The purpose of producing a UK oil and gas workforce plan is to help deal with both short and long-term issues in the sector with industry and governments working together. This plan sets out how the government will help skilled workers in the oil and gas sector find work in the wider engineering sector. It also introduces measures which will help industry deal with the cyclical nature of its workforce needs over the longer term.

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This white paper sets out the UK government's plans to reform the higher education and research system. In some cases these plans are subject to Parliament. The paper builds on the proposals consulted on in the earlier green paper, noting that the higher education landscape has changed fundamentally since the last major legislative reforms of 1992. The university system now needs important reform to fulfil its potential and to sustain its global standing.

The paper argues that higher education continues to be a sound financial and personal investment with a wide range of societal benefits. But there is more to be done for the university system to fulfil its potential as an engine of social mobility and a driver of economic growth. Access remains uneven, with young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds 2.4 times less likely to go into higher education than the most advantaged. Courses are inflexible, based on the traditional three-year undergraduate model, with insufficient innovation and provision of two-year degrees and degree apprenticeships. Many students are dissatisfied with the provision they receive, with over 60 per cent of students feeling that all or some elements of their course are worse than expected and a third of these attributing this to concerns with teaching quality. Employers are suffering skills shortages, especially in high skilled [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] STEM areas; at the same time around 20 per cent of employed graduates are in non-professional roles three and a half years after graduating. While the graduate premium has remained substantial, even as student numbers have expanded rapidly in recent decades, recent research suggests there is large variation in graduate outcomes across both providers and subjects, and even for those that studied the same subject within the same provider.

The paper suggests that at the heart of this lies insufficient competition and a lack of informed choice. The measures outlined here will help ensure that everyone with the potential to benefit from higher study can access relevant information to help them make the right choices from a wide range of high quality universities and benefit from excellent teaching that supports their future productivity. By introducing more competition and informed choice into higher education, the government aims to deliver better outcomes and value for students, employers and taxpayers.

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No one source of data gives a comprehensive picture of the income of the self-employed. However, by looking at a range of sources, some tentative conclusions can be formed: (1) the self-employed as a group have seen falling income since the recession; (2) but this is mostly down to the changing composition of self-employment; (3) those individuals who have been self-employed over a number of years have seen income levels sustained, although with some self-employment earnings replaced by other sources; and (4) there is little difference in overall life satisfaction levels between the self-employed and the employed.

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