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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 document reports on research on the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds, also known as the 'AGE 16 to 24' program, which supports businesses to recruit young apprentices. The program provides grants to employers with an individual value of GBP 1,500, subject to eligibility and availability. This report describes the findings of the research, which involved talking with participating employers, government agencies and training organisations involved in the administration of the grant. All aspects of the policy are covered, from the way it was run, whether the grant amount was set at the right level, to satisfaction with the learning and training.

The grant was especially targeted to small and medium sized employers and those that had never taken on an apprentice before. The evaluation shows that 80 per cent of grants were given to businesses that employed up to 25 people, and 85 per cent of the grants went to employers that have never had an apprentice before. On the basis of the positive findings of this evaluation, the Department for Business, Education and Skills (BIS) has decided to extend the program to December 2014.

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[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.

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This updated framework provides employers, education and training providers and young people aged 16 to 24 with information about traineeships. It gives guidance on who traineeships are for and on what traineeships will provide, including work preparation training, work placements and how traineeships will fit in with other programs. It also explains how traineeships will be delivered and funded. Show less

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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The review of adult offender learning in England was jointly undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This report of the review outlines plans to break the cycle of re-offending, by developing a stronger link between learning in prisons and the vocational and employability skills that employers demand. Under the reforms to the adult offender education system, there will be greater emphasis on the results that education and training in prison delivers. The way learning is delivered in prisons will also be overhauled to better reflect the way the prison system is organised and improve value for money. This report sets out the Government's commitment to: increase the range and relevance of learning, focusing on the skills employers need; support more work opportunities in prison; improve links with employers, ensuring where possible a relationship with employers has been established before release; boost activity to prepare prisoners for apprenticeship opportunities on release; focus learning delivery towards the end of prisoners' sentences, linking it directly to needs in the labour market on release; reshape careers advice provided in custody; trial outcome incentive payments, giving colleges and training providers a greater stake in delivering learning successfully; and restructure the delivery of offender learning around the clusters of prisons within which prisoners normally move, bringing more coherence to the system.

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This paper summarises recent quantitative evidence on the economic returns to having or improving literacy and numeracy skills. The summary includes evidence on earnings and employment, and distinguishes between returns to having basic skills whenever these are acquired, and returns to acquiring basic skills in adulthood. The review is confined to economic returns to individuals; macro effects - on productivity for example - are not considered. UK evidence is largely from four data sets: the 1958 National Child Development Survey (NCDS), the British Cohort Study 1970 (BCS70), the 2003 Skills for Life survey and the longitudinal study of a representative sample of adult literacy and numeracy learners. Section two provides an overview of the evidence. Section three summarises the evidence on earnings, section four summarises the evidence on employment and section five includes US evidence on the workplace. Show less

This consultation is published in response to Doug Richard's independent 'Review of apprenticeships', which looked at how apprenticeships in England can meet the needs of the changing economy. It addresses Doug Richard's recommendations for reforming the way apprenticeships are funded. The government has already endorsed the review recommendations, which aim to give employers more control over apprenticeships, and ensure that all apprenticeships are rigorous and responsive to employers' needs. [The government has] previously consulted on the 'Future of apprenticeships in England' to encourage feedback on the practical steps needed to turn this vision into reality. This consultation seeks views on three ways of delivering funding reforms put forward by Doug Richard: (1) a new online system for apprenticeships with payments to employers made directly from the system; (2) utilising the [pay as you earn] PAYE system; and (3) reforming the existing provider funding infrastructure.

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This report summarises findings from the 'Going into HE' qualitative research project, conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The aim of the project was to develop a clear understanding of: (1) the role and importance of finance in the decision-making process of English-domiciled people from different groups who are considering entering full-time higher education (HE) in the UK; and (2) the impact of the support arrangements on their decisions. The research found that financial factors tend not to dent HE aspirations among those planning to apply. Indeed, they tend to be outweighed by a range of non-financial factors, especially for younger people. Insofar as finance is important in decision-making, it is in determining where to apply and study rather than what to study or whether to study at all. Applicants tend to underestimate the amount of student financial support for which they will be eligible. Some of them arrive at key HE decisions having accessed very little information and having cursorily discounted certain options. Insofar as fees are seen as an inevitability, there is broad support among students for financing these through loans for tuition. Preferences regarding loans for maintenance, however, are more divided: some students are receptive to bigger loans as a means of financing study while many mature and non-traditional students would be prepared to contemplate a lower total support package within which non-repayable support such as grants and bursaries would make up a higher proportion, leading to lower indebtedness.

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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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