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This report provides a synthesis of the Skills Task Force (STF) Employers Skill Survey undertaken in 1999 (ESS 1999) in the United Kingdom (UK). It forms part of a broader investigation into the extent, causes, and implications of skill deficiencies, supported by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The Survey is the largest investigation into England's skill needs to date and was undertaken in 1999 to provide information for the Skills Task Force (STF). The study comprised: an analysis of the existing survey evidence on skill deficiencies; a questionnaire survey to determine the extent of skill deficiencies; case studies of establishments across a range of sectors to examine the relationship between skill deficiencies and economic performance; spatial analysis based on the questionnaire survey data of the location of skill deficiencies; and econometric analysis of the questionnaire survey data to investigate why skills deficiencies arise and their consequences for economic performance. This report provides a synthesis of these five elements and on the basis of the outcomes, concludes that a skills problem exists and describes its nature and extent. Three different types of skill deficiency are identified: external recruitment difficulties; internal skill gaps where employers perceived their employees' current skills as insufficient to meet organisational needs; and latent skill gaps which are based upon a concept of ideal behaviour or performance.

The research report from the National Skills Task Force (STF) is indexed at TD/TNC 62.657. Further reports from the Employers Skill Survey are indexed at TD/TNC 65.231, TD/TNC 65.232, TD/TNC 69.153 and TD/TNC 69.154. Case studies from a range of sectors are indexed from TD/TNC 65.225 to TD/TNC 65.230. Show less

This report presents the outcomes of the final evaluation of the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF) funded UK online centres. The centres were intended to ‘bridge the gap between those in society who have access to information and communications technology (ICT) and are able to use it competently and confidently and those who do not’. The focus of the initiative was on adults in disadvantaged communities with six specified target groups: unemployed people; single parents; people with disabilities; minority ethnic groups; people with basic skills needs; and people over the age of 60 who had not been involved in learning for some time. The initiative was launched in 2000 and by November 2002, 6,000 online centres had been established, over half of these with CMF funding. The evaluation of CMF centres was designed to assess the impact and efficiency of the program as a whole and to identify specifically whether participants increased their ICT skills and the extent to which participants are achieving short- and long-term outcomes as a result of improving their ICT skills and having access to ICT. The study also explored the issue of ‘deadweight’, or activity that would have happened in any case, the extent of deadweight loss, and the broader impact of the centres on individuals and the community in general. The evaluation found that the centres reached the target groups with almost two thirds of those using the centres in one of the six priority target groups. The study did not identify significant levels of ‘deadweight’ and most respondents to the initial user survey (84%) stated that they had learned new skills they would not have acquired otherwise. Many users progress to further learning and employment and over 90% expressed satisfaction with the centres. In terms of overall program impact, the evidence suggests that many centres are not reaching many people in the most excluded groups. In addition, the evidence infers that only those with Internet access at home, work or college have ‘truly crossed the digital divide’. The report makes recommendations for the future of online centres. Show less

This research explored the use and operation of training allowances and the impact that they have on the behaviour of young people and on employers. Specific objectives were to: develop a better understanding of how training allowances influence young people’s decisions to enter, and remain in, vocational training programs; determine what impact the availability of training allowances has on employers offering training opportunities. The research methodology comprised an initial scoping study, involving interviews with trainees, training providers and employers; a questionnaire survey of a representative sample of 5,000 trainees; and telephone surveys of 25 training providers, 62 employers and 40 Local Learning and Skills Councils (LLSCs). The Minimum Training Allowance (MTA) was introduced to provide financial support to non-employed learners aged 16 to 24. Administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the MTA is set at UKP 40 per week, though there is flexibility for Local Learning and Skills Councils (LLSCs) to pay more depending on local circumstances. The research revealed that: there a wide variety of views and experiences of training allowance payments across the UK; the amount that young people receive while doing an apprenticeship is very important in ensuring take-up and continued motivation; the MTA was not a key factor in ensuring completion of apprenticeships, strongly suggesting that training allowances should be viewed as a short-term solution to the funding of work-based learning placements; training allowances provided a strong incentive for some employers to take on apprentices; although practice in relation to the use and payment of MTAs appears to have improved, greater standardisation is still needed. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. As part of the evaluation of IFP, the DfES commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to undertake a program of case study visits to nine IFP partnerships. The purpose was to investigate the extent to which IFP had become 'embedded in partnership provision and the wider 14-19 agenda' and factors that affected this process either positively or negatively. Specific objectives were to: identify the current partnership arrangements and the extent to which these had changed in relation to the nature of the cohorts and models of delivery; explore the development of IFP including the extent to which it had become embedded in institutions' provision; examine staff's perceptions of the contribution of IFP, and their partnerships' experience, to the transition into the new 14-19 arrangements; investigate the perceived outcomes for young people, staff and institutions from participating in IFP; and explore young people's experience of participating in IFP including their reasons for participating, experience of the program and the main outcomes including their intended future progression. The overall success of the partnerships was indicated by the generally positive view of staff and students about working in partnerships. In addition, the membership of the partnerships had remained stable or had consolidated over the four years of the program. Partnerships with more effective outcomes were characterised by clear selection criteria acknowledged by both college and school staff, effective support for students, and good communication at operational and partnership levels. Show less

Foundation degrees (FDs) were established as a pathway for people within the workplace to build on existing expertise and continue working at the same time as studying for a higher level qualification. One of the FDs developed was in the Early Years (EY) sector. The Early Years Sector-Endorsed Foundation Degree (EYSEFD) comprises practical experience in an EY workplace, supported by a mentor, which constitutes the work-based learning (WBL) element of the course, in conjunction with academic work. This report presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring employers' and mentors' views and experiences of the EYSEFD, specifically: the nature of information employers and mentors have received about the program and their levels of satisfaction with this; how employers and mentors conceptualise their roles in relation to the EYSEFD students, particularly in relation to WBL and mentoring; the types and levels of involvement of employers and mentors with EYSEFD students, and explanatory factors for this; employer and mentor motivations for supporting the student through the EYSEFD, and feelings about their role; the logistics of accommodating an EYSEFD student in the workplace in terms of WBL, mentoring, and finances; impacts of the EYSEFD on students' work, the setting, other staff members, the EY sector as a whole and the students' future career progression; and employer and mentor views about the value of the EYSEFD to their setting, and feelings about how the experience of accommodating and mentoring an EYSEFD student could be improved. Employers experienced a range of 'de-motivators' and 'motivators' to supporting EYSEFD students. The key 'de-motivators' included: a lack of information and contact with the college about the EYSEFD and the role of employers and mentors in facilitating the WBL aspect; logistical and financial difficulties in accommodating WBL, mentoring and student attendance at college; and lack of progression opportunities within the setting. Key 'motivators' included: a strong commitment on the part of the employer to staff training; the ability to accommodate the EYSEFD logistically and financially; and confidence in the degree strengthened by good information from the college.

The report of the study of students' experiences of the EYSEFD is indexed at TD/TNC 85.381. Show less

Since 1997, the UK government has been developing policies based on the interdependence of social justice and economic success. However, economic productivity and competitiveness remain well below those of her major competitors. One reason for this is that gaps still exist in the national skills base. While the UK compares well at higher education levels, the percentage of the workforce qualified to intermediate skill levels - apprenticeship, skilled craft and technician level - is low: 28% in the UK compared with 51% in France and 65% in Germany. Particular gaps exist in basic skills for employability, including literacy, numeracy and the use of information technology, intermediate skills at apprenticeship, technician, higher craft and associate professional level, mathematics, and management and leadership. This white paper contains proposals that set an agenda to close the skills gap over the next 10 years. Its aim is to ensure that employers are able to recruit people with the skills that are needed to support the success of their businesses and that individuals have the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled. The contents are: Overview: the skills challenge and how we will meet it; Skills for employers, support for employees; Skills for employers - the sector role; Skills for individuals; Reforming qualifications and training programmes; Reforming the supply side - colleges and training providers; Partnerships for delivery; Delivering the strategy. Included as appendices are: Education, skills and productivity - the Reform Agenda; Aspirations for the skills strategy; Sector productivity and skills; Good practice in skills development in Government and the public sector; Response form. Show less

This document is the fourth in an annual series of employer surveys that investigate workforce development. The objectives of the 2002 survey were to gather information on: the volume, type and pattern of off-the-job training; key indicators of employers’ commitment to training; learning opportunities offered; and awareness of, and involvement with, a number of initiatives relevant to training. The survey consisted of over 4000 telephone interviews with employers in England’s public and private business sectors who have one or more employee. The report presents a summary of the research findings, followed by chapters which provide detailed overviews of each theme. The themes which arose through the survey relate to: learning opportunities and facilities available to employees; proficiency of existing staff; provision of job-related training and reasons for non-provision; provision of off-the-job training; management and delivery of off-the-job training; provision of on-the-job training; awareness of, and involvement with, training initiatives; and young employees aged 16-24. Show less

Skills Dialogues constitute a series of consultations with all major industrial and business sectors in the UK, generating high quality authoritative skills assessments for each of these broad sectors. Their purpose is to improve the quality of information available on skills at sector level and to provide an effective means for national training organisations (NTOs) and employers to contribute to the planning and implementation of education and training provision in their sector. This report is the result of the Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather, and Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in these industries. These industries have faced a difficult transformation over the past three decades as a result of overseas competition and technological change. The report provides overviews of these industries, examines issues related to the demand for, and supply of, skills, including employment change, occupational change, skill requirements, skills gaps and shortages, and summarises common skills issues. The report suggests that to maintain competitiveness, the industries will need to further enhance skills, particularly in management, marketing and technical expertise. Major skills issues common to these industries are: (1) changes to the skills mix resulting from the transition to a combination of UK and overseas production; (2) overall skills deficiencies exacerbated by lack of experience and of basic skills; (3) skills gaps particularly at management levels and for clerical, craft and plant and machine operatives; (4) the equal demand for soft skills and technical and information technology (IT) related skills; and (5) that recruitment and skills problems are responsible for business problems and delays in developing new products. Show less

For the past decade, Investors in People (IiP) has been the major government workforce development initiative in the United Kingdom (UK). IiP provides a framework for good practice and investment in the development of employees within an organisation. The IiP standard acts as a benchmark against which organisations can be assessed and, since its inception, the number of organisations becoming recognised Investors in People has steadily grown. Previous research had shown that the standard has a positive effect on training and development strategy within organisations but research into the wider contribution of IiP was needed. The main aims of the research were, therefore, to gather information that describes the position of IiP within organisations and in terms of its wider effects on organisations, individuals, and the economy in general, and to act as precursor to a fuller cost-benefit analysis of returns and rates of return to individuals, employers and society from workforce development. A large-scale program of survey-based research was carried out among a sample of organisations covering four employment size bands (fewer than 10 employees; 10-49 employees; 50-249 employees; and 250+ employees). The report is structured as follows: an analysis of organisational objectives for involvement in IiP; an assessment of whether organisations satisfy these objectives and the intermediate effect, e.g. changes in human resource (HR) management and practices, of IiP; an analysis of the business performance effects of achieving the standard; an examination of the wider effects including an assessment of the impact on employees; a comparison of IiP with other externally accredited standards and good practices adopted by organisations involved with IiP; a report on organisations' views on the usefulness of IiP; the outcome of the work designed to act as a precursor to a fuller cost-benefit analysis; and concluding remarks on the research outcomes and the implications for policy development. Appendices contain evaluation data. Show less

The aims of the study reported here were to use a range of research methods to investigate the validity of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) assessments and the transferability of NVQ achievements. The study intended to examine: the National Standards and the requirements of the workplace; how far candidates achieve and sustain competence in the course of training, certification and subsequent employment; the impact of learning routes, contexts and strategies on the achievement of competence; and the assessment methods and criteria used by assessors. The research was conducted by means of: a cross-sectional study of engineering apprentices; a longitudinal study of child care candidates; and short-term tracking studies of administration and hairdressing candidates. The outcomes of the research were analysed in the light of relevant theoretical constructs, in particular, situated cognition theory. The study concludes that it is essential that all NVQ candidates are encouraged, at all stages and in all contexts, to engage in learning that goes beyond the immediate requirements of the situation, in order to foster the growth of the deeper knowledge and understanding which is the basis of the ability to transfer the competence acquired in one context to another. Show less