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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 Process Industries Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in this sector. This group of industries covers ceramics, chemicals, downstream petroleum, extractives and minerals processing, glass, metals, offshore petroleum, paper, pharmaceuticals, polymers, refractories and building products, and surface coatings. These industries are essential elements of the supply chain for British industry and over recent years have undergone significant changes. Managing change is the main driver for investment in skills and the industry now has fewer, more highly skilled, employees. The key issues identified by the skills dialogue are: (1) recruitment; (2) management and leadership skills; (3) supporting process improvement and supply chain development; (4) safety, health and the environment; (5) using workplace qualifications; (6) basic and key skills; (7) new technology skills; and (8) choosing high quality learning provision. Show less

This report is a follow-up to an earlier study undertaken in 2000 that examined the wage returns to academic and vocational qualifications in the UK in the 1990s (indexed at TD/TNC 69.166). Data was drawn from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), and the 1998 Labour Force Survey (LFS). This report extends the earlier work in a number of directions. The data from the LFS is used to disaggregate the estimated returns to detailed qualifications with a particular focus on changes in returns over time, by public and private sector, by age cohort and by highest school qualification. The report uses information on all qualifications held by each person rather than just the highest. This allows an estimation of the returns to each qualification on the basis of the earnings of all individuals who acquire them rather than just the individuals who acquire a particular qualification and progress no further. Key findings are that: (1) the returns to key academic qualifications are very similar for men and women; (2) men and women earn positive returns on Higher National Certificate/Higher National Diploma (HNC/HND) qualifications and BTEC or SCOTVEC National Certificate/Diploma (ONC/OND) qualifications, and professional, teaching and nursing qualifications; (3) there has been virtually no change in the estimated returns to most qualifications over the time period considered; (4) degrees and A levels yield a greater return in the private sector than in the public sector for men and similar returns across sectors for women; (5) the returns to most qualifications do not vary to any significant extent over the working lives of individuals; and (6) individuals who do not obtain any qualifications at school obtain positive returns to a wide range of qualifications. Show less

In 2001, the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) in the United Kingdom (UK) initiated a series of Pathfinder Projects to test key elements of the Skills for Life strategy (indexed at TD/IRD 88.171). These elements included delivering learning using the new core curricula for literacy and numeracy, delivering learning by teachers who had received intensive training on the new curricula, and entering learners for the new National Tests at Levels one and two. Later in the year, the Communications Research Group (CRG) was commissioned to undertake an early stage evaluation of the projects, focusing on aspects of good practice. Key aims of the evaluation were to provide information on the numbers of individuals passing the National Test in various learning environments and to evaluate the competence of the new Basic Skills infrastructure in a range of settings in the nine Pathfinder areas of the UK. The evaluation criteria also included the performance of partnership activities, teacher training, screening, diagnostic assessment, learning plans, educational programs, quality assurance, the National Test, and progression to further learning. This report provides: an introduction to the Pathfinder Project evaluation; a report on progress in the various areas specified for evaluation; a discussion of issues arising for key groups of 'stakeholders'; outcomes of the Prison Pathfinder; an assessment of good practice; and brief conclusions from the evaluation. Key findings include positive reactions to the program of teacher training, better results than expected for trainees taking the National Test so far, encouraging take-up patterns for Pathfinder-linked literacy and numeracy support programs, and the delivery of a wide range of programs in various learning environments. The report suggests a number of areas to be kept under active review and makes a number of recommendations in terms of specific areas of good practice. Show less

The UK government has introduced a number of initiatives designed to improve the availability, quality and accessibility of services for young children within its National Childcare Strategy. The childcare workforce is a key ingredient in the success of this goal and must be supported by the recruitment and retention of sufficient, appropriately trained workers. This report covers three studies of the childcare workforce in training and at work in the UK: a national survey of childcare students in further education colleges; a national survey of day nursery workers; and a focus group study of childcare workers and playworkers in training. The main aim of the studies was to investigate issues of entry, retention and loss in the childcare workforce. In particular, the research sought to describe the characteristics of those individuals who train and work in the childcare field, to identify their views and experiences of training and employment in childcare, and to examine how workers combined their commitment to childcare employment and other commitments in their lives. The report provides policy background, a broad description of the childcare workforce, an overview of findings organised in relation to the three key issues of entry, retention and loss, and some conclusions about the future of the childcare workforce along with a detailed account of each study. Two key themes emerge from the research: (1) the high level of value placed on childcare as an occupation and as a service by workers and students in the field; and (2) combining childcare work with parenting and the associated possibilities and difficulties.

A further report building on this research is indexed at TD/TNC 71.132. Show less

This document provides a report on a longitudinal study of young people with special educational needs (SEN). The study is part of an investigation into the post-16 routes and experiences of young people undertaken by the Centre for Formative Assessment Studies (CFAS) of the School of Education, University of Manchester on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment (now known as the Department for Education and Skills). Overall, the investigation aims to: (1) provide a comprehensive overview of the experiences, achievements and attitudes of young people with SEN during transition from secondary education to early adult life; and (2) identify strengths and weaknesses in this transition process and highlight barriers to further education, higher education, training, employment and independent living. Specifically, this study collected baseline data about the aspirations and needs of the young people and analysed the existing quality of transition arrangements, i.e. the type and level of Key Stage 4 transition support received from schools, Local Education Authorities (LEAs), community services and other support agencies, and equality of opportunity through school provision. Changes in attitudes, circumstances and provision throughout the transition period were monitored. Show less

This report summarises the key messages on skills supply, demand and shortfall in England in 2001. The messages are drawn from a synthesis, review and assessment of research evidence on skills issues. The report highlights 10 key messages and summarises the research evidence in support of each one, emphasising research gaps where appropriate. A much fuller assessment is contained in the full research report indexed at TD/TNC 72.137. The key messages are that: skills are valuable; the importance of skills is increasing; understanding the demand for skills in the labour market is essential in assessing the current and future demand for skills; improving international competitiveness demands better skills; inequalities in attainment and participation must be addressed; employers have a key role to play; skill deficiencies are concentrated amongst certain types of employers; there are a number of skill hotspots that require tackling, i.e. information and communications technology (ICT) skills, generic/transferable skills, numeracy skills, and management skills; regional and local differences must be taken into consideration; and using the evidence base on skills would enhance the effectiveness of policy, planning and service delivery. Show less

The primary aim of this research study, commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to enhance understanding about the role of the school in shaping the perceptions and choices of post-16 pathways amongst young people in school, was to identify the nature and influence of school-based factors on the choices that young people make about their post-16 education, training and career pathways. Key findings from this study include: the choices expressed by young people changed over time as a range of factors influenced their ideas; the provision of a sixth form within the school was an important influence on the decision of young people to stay on and participate in post-16 education and training; knowledge about post-16 provision in schools and colleges tended to be strongest among pupils in schools with sixth forms and weakest in schools with no sixth form; the effectiveness of schools in providing advice and guidance often depended on the way a school was organised; Connexions was an important intervening agency for the majority of pupils; pupils wanted more direct experiential learning to inform post-16 choices; and the majority of pupils wanted career advice well before Year 11 even though final decisions were rarely made before then. The contents are: Executive summary; Research context and methodology; Choices and choice processes; The influence of school organisation on pupil choice; Modelling the influence of the school on post-16 choice; Conclusions and recommendations. Show less

Consultation on the Green Paper '14-19: extending opportunities, raising standards' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.170) revealed strong support for reform of learning opportunities available to 14-19 year olds at school, college and in the workplace. The UK compares poorly with other countries on measures of participation and achievement. The most persistent shortcoming of the system is the weakness of vocational provision. The challenge is to create a 14-19 phase that provides a clearer and more appropriate curriculum and qualifications framework that embraces strong provision for both academic and vocational options. This next steps document builds on the proposals outlined in the Green Paper and the extensive responses to the Green Paper consultation. It sets out the case for reform and outlines the strategy to introduce more flexibility into the system. The aim is to provide greater coherence for schools, colleges and employers, and a clearer understanding of how their qualifications lead to further education or work for students. Short-term reforms relate to curriculum change, the improvement of vocational options, consistency and quality of teaching and learning, an emphasis on local innovation and partnership, raising student aspirations, and support for local delivery. A new working group will be formed to examine longer term reforms in the areas of vocational provision, assessment, and the unification of the qualifications framework.

The Annexes accompanying this report are indexed at TD/TNC 74.145. A summary of the report is indexed at TD/TNC 74.146. Show less

Learning Partnerships were set up across the United Kingdom (UK) in early 1999 to promote a new culture across the school, further education (FE) work-based learning, and adult and community learning sectors to rationalise the range of existing local partnership arrangements covering post-16 learning. This analysis, which is based on 20 case studies, provides an overview of key issues associated with progress, early impact and added value of Partnership Activity. It concentrates on the focus, performance and impact aspects of Partnership development and draws interim conclusions and recommendations. The contents are: Introduction; Partnership focus; Aspects of success; Barriers to development; Value added; Performance indicators; Conclusions and recommendations.

Other related reports are indexed at TD/TNC 68.196, TD/TNC 69.278 and TD/TNC 69.279 and the final report is indexed at TD/TNC 75.237. Show less

This report summarises the findings of the National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2003 for the SkillsActive Sector Skills Council, which covers sport, recreation, children's play, health and fitness, outdoor education, caravan parks, recreation and adventure. The NESS was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in partnership with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), to provide detailed information about the extent, causes and implications of England's recruitment problems and skill gaps. It also measures employers' training activities. Key findings include: the largest firms are proportionately more likely to have hard-to-fill vacancies, but in terms of actual numbers the largest proportion of hard-to-fill and skill shortage vacancies lie within the smallest firms; larger firms are also more likely to have skill gaps and also have the highest proportion of staff suffering from skill gaps; vacancies are predominantly for elementary staff and personal service staff; skill gaps are most likely to affect elementary and sales and customer service staff; the main causes of hard-to-fill vacancies are poor terms and conditions offered for the job and the lack of people interested in doing the type of work in the sector; the main causes of skill gaps are the lack of experience of the member of staff and it appears that skill gaps are linked to recruitment difficulties; the most common skills lacking in applicants are team working skills, communication skills, technical and practical skills and customer handling skills; the major area of skill gaps are in the same areas; skills that are in shortage reflect the nature of the job, e.g. sales staff are more likely to have deficiencies in communication and customer handling skills and managers and senior officials lack management skills.

The main report and the report of the key findings of the National Employers Skills Survey 2003 are indexed at TD/TNC 79.281 and TD/TNC 79.599. Individual Sector Skills Council reports are indexed from TD/TNC 79.275 to TD/TNC 79.280. Show less