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[This report] presents the findings of research into the prior skills and qualification levels of adults aged 19 and over on adult learner responsive (ALR) learning provision in 2010/2011. The research aimed to understand the extent to which investment in ALR learning provision is being directed toward up-skilling individuals with lower skill levels. [This report] also explores the profile of learners undertaking such courses and those undertaking their first level 2 learning, in demographics, employment status and income, and to investigate why learners take up these courses.

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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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This consultation contains proposals to reshape the higher education landscape to have students at its heart. Its core aims are to raise teaching standards, provide greater focus on graduate employability, widen participation in higher education, and open up the sector to new high-quality entrants. This document sets out proposals for how the Government's manifesto commitment to introduce a Teaching Excellence Framework will deliver better value for money for students, employers and taxpayers. It also sets out plans to drive social mobility by further increasing higher education participation by those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups.

This consultation proposes a new single gateway for entry to the sector, which would create a common system for all providers. It sets out proposed new architecture for the higher education system, to reflect the way higher education is now funded by students, and to reduce the regulatory burden on the sector. Finally, this consultation considers the potential implications of these changes for the research landscape.

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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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In February 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned research to examine the make-up, dynamics, and scale of the third sector to maximise its engagement and participation in the delivery of learning and skills. A provider typology was produced at an early stage based on a definition of the third sector as comprising registered charities, community interest companies, industrial and provident societies, voluntary and community organisations (including unincorporated charities and community organisations), social enterprises, trusts and foundations, and co-operatives and mutuals. This excluded from the analysis other organisations and providers such as further education colleges, local authorities and private training companies. The research, which included a literature review, quantitative provider survey, provider focus groups, a statistical analysis of learner and provider data and the development of good practice case studies, has been the largest study of its type into the third sector and has provided a significant and rich source of evidence. The research was delivered by a partnership of Skills-Third Sector, the Third Sector National Learning Alliance (TSNLA) and the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) with support from Fairtrain, HOLEX, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and BIS.

The research has demonstrated that the third sector has a number of strengths and is well placed to contribute to the government's priorities for learning and skills. However there remain a number of challenges that need to be addressed, by government and its departments and agencies, those organisations with a remit to support and represent third sector providers and the third sector itself, if the contribution the third sector makes to society and the economy is to be fully recognised, valued and supported. A set of strategic objectives and priority actions have been developed and are recommended to overcome these challenges. These are to: demonstrate the benefits of working with the third sector; further develop the capability and capacity of the third sector to deliver learning and skills; improve third sector learning and skills delivery; and develop effective collaboration within and with the third sector. The research also resulted in a strategic framework which will drive implementation of the research findings during the next phase of the project.

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The UK Government's 2010 strategy document 'Investing in skills for sustainable growth' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 107.412] set out the principles of fairness and shared responsibility underpinning the investment strategy designed to create a further education (FE) system delivering a lifelong approach to learning, nurturing, sustainable economic growth and social renewal. This current investment statement confirms the Government's commitment to invest in high quality provision that delivers good value for money with a focus on young adults, the low skilled and those who are unemployed.

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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 is the final report on the evaluation of the UK-Russia BRIDGE Higher Education Partnership Programme, known simply as BRIDGE. It is based upon desk research and fieldwork conducted in the period September 2009 to February 2010. BRIDGE supported the development of dual degrees, mutually recognised academic qualifications and research collaborations. The aims of BRIDGE were to: increase collaborative effort between Russian and UK universities by means of joint programme development leading to dual degrees or other mutually recognised academic qualifications; develop a model of university partnership brokering and dual degree development that will be replicable across other countries; extend the reach and availability of UK awards to Russian students; develop a community of innovators in Russia and the UK; facilitate a change in Russian higher education leading to a more outcomes-based, learner-centred, interactive and accountable system; provide learning points for UK and Russian higher education management; and progress change in Russia's systems as they follow the Bologna process. The report concludes that BRIDGE has been a success, meeting most of its targets and resulting in a high degree of satisfaction amongst institutions and students.

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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

Under the Equality Act 2010, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), as a public authority, is legally obliged to give due regard to equality issues when making policy decisions - the public sector equality duty, also called the general equality duty. Analysing the effects on equality of these regulations through developing an equality impact assessment is one method of ensuring that thinking about equality issues is built into the policy process, and informs Ministers' decision making. The general equality duty covers the following protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

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