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People invest £7.3 billion a year and £55 billion worth of time in learning. This is more than the Government and employers invest in learning and skills, but there are stark inequalities between groups. This report provides the most detailed snapshot seen of which groups of adults are investing in learning, and how much, and lays bare stark inequalities in learning. It calls for a new Lifelong Learning Entitlement to simplify the overly complex system, boost participation in learning by those currently most likely to miss out and boost the UK economy.

Based on analysis of Learning and Work Institute's long-running Adult Participation in Learning Survey, the research finds that younger people are three times more likely to participate in learning than older people and also invest three times as much per year (£3,900 v £1,300). This lower investment by older people is a problem given longer working lives and economic change require people to update their skills more often through life. The same is true of investment by region and country. People in London (£1,400) invest more than double per person compared to the South East (£565) and Scotland (£624).

This could put 'levelling up' at risk given the impact learning has on economic growth and individual opportunity. The data come after previous L&W research showed that Government investment in skills is set to be £1 billion lower in 2025 compared to 2010, and that employer investment in training per employee has fallen 28 per cent since 2005. Taken together, they suggest the UK is under-investing in skills and learning, and risks staying stuck in the middle of the pack by international standards. This would put future growth and prosperity at risk.

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European firms have increasingly invested in training of employees but differences across countries and types of firms remain - and the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 shock may have exacerbated them. This report analyses European firms' investment in training over the last six years examining trends, factors supporting training investment as well as the impact of the COVID-19 shock. We base the empirical analysis on a unique dataset, the European Investment Bank's Investment Survey (EIBIS), which allows tracking corporate training investment on a yearly basis. To understand dynamics underpinning firms' decision to invest in their workforce, we examine transition patterns and employ dynamic panel data estimation. Finally, we analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on firms' investment in workforce training and transitions in and out of training.

We find that despite a slow upward trend in training investment observed in recent years, supported by labour market recovery, differences across firms and countries have persisted. The pandemic risks aggravating these, through its asymmetric impact on labour markets and differences in corporate innovation, firm structure and resilience. While firm training can be an important element for firms and their workforce to adjust to the post-pandemic environment, asymmetries in training investment could make it harder for those already lagging. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications.

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For more than 25 years, the Adult Participation in Learning Survey has provided a unique insight into adult learning across the UK. It adopts a deliberately broad definition of learning, reflecting the fact that learning is about so much more than formal courses and qualifications. The good news is that, after a decade of declines during the 2010s, participation in learning remains back at levels last seen in the early 2000s: around two in five adults (42 per cent) say they have taken part in learning at some point in the last three years. The survey also demonstrates a shift in the number of adults learning independently and informally, with interest sparked during the pandemic and the rise of lockdown learning and helping to fill the gap as formal and publicly-funded learning fell over the previous decade. In the same way, the step change during the pandemic in learning at least partly online has sustained: 68 per cent of adults said at least part of their learning took place online. However, that doesn't mean we don't need to see increases in formal learning - qualifications can give people currency in the labour market where this is their reason for learning, and our research has shown employer investment in training has fallen 28 per cent since 2005, holding back productivity.

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This collaborative report from PwC, Social Ventures Australia, the Global Apprenticeship Network (Australia) and the Apprentice Employment Network (Victoria) identifies measures that are required to build an apprenticeship system that works in the modern world and remedy Australia's chronic skills shortages. In June 2021, PwC was engaged by SVA and the AEN to provide analysis on: (1) gaining an understanding of the factors shaping employers' willingness to hire and train young people; (2) building an understanding of the actions governments have taken, including internationally, to increase opportunities for young people to get into work and develop their skills; and (3) identifying what action(s) can be taken to substantially increase the availability of those opportunities for young people in Australia.

The approach to provide analysis for this research project included the following: an in-depth literature review of over 70 documents; a targeted employer survey (50 respondents); one-on-one consultations with employers, academics, youth advocate bodies and training bodies; and a roundtable focused on testing the impact of potential solutions. Research for this report includes reviewing policies designed to increase employer provision of career paths for youth, with a focus on evidence from examples such as the Training Guarantee (Australia); the Apprenticeship Levy (UK); use of procurement (such as the Major Project Skills Guarantee) and evidence from pilot projects e.g. higher apprenticeship pilots.

While many employers identify cost as a significant barrier to investing in young people, wage subsidies are not always the most effective way of addressing cost barriers. On their own, they are not enough to address the challenges employers face. Some employers have the knowledge, experience and scale to build employment pathways within their own organisations. But most employers lack this capacity and find themselves having to navigate a complex, and often costly, system. Employers told us that they want to see better-designed incentives, more coherent and comprehensive intermediary support and a quicker return on investment when they hire young people. It is clear from this research that a combination of measures is needed to generate change. We identified five broad approaches, some combination of which should be considered: (1) financial levers including more tailored subsidies and consideration of schemes to promote training investment; (2) stronger and more coherent intermediary support models for employers; (3) collaborative pre-employment (training) models which are directly linked to employers; (4) use of integrated work and learning, particularly in sectors without strong existing apprenticeship systems; and (5) use of government procurement and contracting to drive skills development. The report identifies a number of possible next steps to test and refine these ideas.

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The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) provides intelligence for understanding the skills challenges faced by employers, both in terms of their existing workforce and when recruiting, and how they respond to these challenges through investment in training and workforce development. Over 81,000 employers participated in the 2019 wave, however, although ESS has been a UK-level survey since 2011, employers in Scotland were not included in the 2019 survey. Another methodological change for the 2019 survey was that the question areas were broader than previous ESS, and included key elements of the Employer Perspectives Survey, which focuses on what drives decisions around recruitment and people development, as well as involvement and experiences with specific programmes such as apprenticeships. The study reports the experiences of employers at establishment level, with interviews conducted with the most senior person at each site with responsibility for human resources and workplace skills. Employers with at least two people on their payroll were in scope for the survey.

Chapter two discusses recruitment activity and difficulties in filling vacancies due to skill-shortages. It examines the proportion of establishments with vacancies and skill shortage vacancies at the time of the interview, the volume and density of such vacancies (i.e. the proportion of vacancies where skill shortages are encountered), the skills lacking in the available labour market, and the impact of skill shortage vacancies on employers. Chapter three looks at internal skills challlenges, that is the extent and nature of skills gaps within the workforce and how these affect different occupations, the causes and impact of these skills gaps, and the way employers respond to them. Chapter four explores in detail employers' training and development activities for their employees, including the types of training provided, employers' expenditure on training, and barriers to providing (more) training. The final chapter summarises the key themes emerging from the survey and considers their implications.

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This report provides the results from the 2018 to 2019 survey into the views and experiences of employers involved in apprenticeships. The survey covered: employers' experiences of offering apprenticeships; who they took on and to what types of apprenticeship; their motivations for offering apprenticeships; and satisfaction of employers. For the first time, a separate survey was also conducted of employers who had either current degree apprentices or Level 6+ non-degree apprenticeships at their site as of August 2018. The report sits alongside the accompanying learner report [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 139.935]. Recent policy developments have been oriented toward driving up quality while at the same time delivering increased quantities of apprenticeship starts, and with a focus on the central role of employers in the design of suitable apprenticeships. These policy developments have included: the move from frameworks to standards; new requirements for minimum levels of off-the-job training; changes to the approach to apprenticeship assessment (standards require end point assessment); the establishment of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to oversee quality and to approve apprenticeship standards and assessment plans; and increased emphasis on Maths and English. This has been accompanied by changes to the funding of apprenticeships, seeking to address perceived employer under-investment in training coupled with the need to fund the desired increase in apprenticeship volumes. The research is intended to help monitor key progress indicators and assess the impact of recent policy reforms to help shape future development of the apprenticeship programme.

Key findings include: (1) despite official data indicating that, since the introduction of reforms in May 2017, a fall in apprenticeship numbers, the vast majority (83 per cent) of employers surveyed planned to continue offering apprenticeships in future, as in the 2017 research when awareness of the reforms was much lower; in addition, more employers who had apprentice completers in 2017 said they had increased their apprenticeship recruitment as a result of the reforms than decreased it; (2) the vast majority of employers who had apprentices completing in the February to September 2017 period were satisfied with the apprenticeship programme, and considered there to be multiple benefits to the organisation, including a range of tangible business benefits, especially in terms of productivity; this finding is consistent with the 2017 survey; (3) employer satisfaction varied by apprenticeship subject, with those such as Construction, Agriculture, and Engineering and Manufacturing receiving lower satisfaction scores among employers; they scored particularly poorly on the flexibility of delivery and the level of influence employers were able to have over structure and content; Arts and Media apprenticeships had the lowest satisfaction rate with the programme overall (66 per cent), and this subject was consistently amongst the lowest scoring for each of the specific elements; this was also the case in 2017; (4) most employers said that there was sufficient information, support and guidance available to employers interested in offering apprenticeships, more than in previous surveys; (5) employers of current degree apprentices or Level 6+ non-degree apprenticeships were generally satisfied with quality of training delivered by the training provider, their ability to select a relevant standard, and the quality of applicants; however, they were less satisfied on all other measures, particularly on complexity of paperwork and ability to influence the training; and (6) about a quarter of employers with Level 6+ apprentices cited the Apprenticeship Levy as their main reason for recruiting these apprentices, although there was little evidence to suggest widespread replacement of graduate recruitment.

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The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) has run biennially since 2011, providing a vital source of intelligence on the skills issues employers face. ESS traditionally has an inward-looking focus assessing the current skills position and skills needs of employers. It has sat alongside the Employer Perspectives Survey, which is primarily outward-looking, covering provision of and engagement with the wider skills system. In ESS 2019, the two surveys were, in effect, merged, by incorporating EPS questions as modules. In total, 81,013 respondents across England, Northern Ireland and Wales responded to the survey.

This report focuses on findings relating to training and workforce development, making up one of four thematic reports to supplement the core ESS findings on skill-shortage vacancies, skills gaps and key training measures. Most of the training measures reported are based on the full sample of 81,013 respondents across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Some topics were modularised in order to integrate the EPS questions, including questions covering employer provision of training designed to lead to vocational qualifications and the extent to which employers sought advice on skills and training-related issues. In total, 16,057 respondents were included in this module. In addition, a separate follow-up survey explored the investment employers had made in providing training to employees in the previous 12 months (the Investment in Training Survey).

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The UK Employer Skills Survey (ESS) is one of the largest business surveys in the world, with the data in this report based on survey responses from over 87,000 employers. This research provides a comprehensive source of intelligence on the skills challenges that UK employers face both within their existing workforces and when recruiting, the levels and nature of investment in training and development, and the relationship between skills challenges, training activity and business strategy. The 2017 survey is the fourth in a series conducted biennially since 2011 (with nation-specific skills surveys pre-dating this). The ESS series therefore provides rich labour market intelligence from the period when the UK economy was emerging from the recession of the late 2000s, to more recent years when the UK has experienced relatively sustained economic growth and high levels of job creation. The latest survey was carried out between May and October 2017. Employers with at least two people on the payroll were in scope, and interviews were conducted at an establishment level with the most senior person at the site with responsibility for human resources and workplace skills.

Key finding include: Recruitment activity has continued to grow since 2015; There has been an 8 per cent increase in the number of skill-shortage vacancies compared with 2015; By occupation, employers were most likely to have experienced skills-related difficulties when recruiting for Skilled Trades positions (such as chefs, electricians, and vehicle technicians); The majority of hard-to-fill vacancies (67 per cent) are caused, at least in part, by a lack of skills, qualifications and experience among applicants; Overall there were around 110,000 vacancies that employers were finding hard-to-fill exclusively for reasons unrelated to applicants' skill levels (11 per cent of all vacancies); By sector the proportion of vacancies proving hard to fill exclusively for non-skills-related reasons was highest in Health and Social Work (19 per cent, up from 13 per cent in 2015); Among employers who had vacancies that were proving hard to fill, one in three (34 per cent) had attempted to recruit EU nationals to try to help overcome recruitment difficulties; Alongside skill shortages that may be experienced when recruiting, employers may also experience skills gaps in their existing workforce; At an occupational level, skills gaps continued to be more prevalent in what might be described as 'labour intensive' roles (i.e. Elementary occupations and Machine Operatives) and 'service intensive' occupations (i.e. Caring, Leisure and Other Services staff and Sales and Customer Service staff); Transient factors, such as staff being new to the role or training only being partially complete, were a contributing cause of most skills gaps (76 per cent); As was the case in 2015, the most common skill lacking among staff was time-management and prioritisation of tasks, contributing to nearly three-fifths of all skills gaps (59 per cent); In line with the two previous ESS surveys in 2013 and 2015, two-thirds of employers in the UK (66 per cent) had provided training for their staff over the past 12 months, with either off-the-job training or on-the-job training provided by around half of all employers in each case (48 per cent and 53 per cent respectively).

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The survey is a source of data on skills and the labour market. It offers an insight into the micro decisions that employers make about factors such as recruitment, training investment and use of skills in the workplace, which underpin the macro-level trends that drive UK economic growth and productivity levels. The survey highlights how changes in the economy are impacting on firms differently. Overall, vacancies and skill-shortage vacancies have increased significantly over the last two years, with some sectors in particular facing heightened difficulties in recruiting staff, such as in construction and finance. However, in many cases there has been persistence over successive waves of the survey in the areas in which difficulties are most commonly reported. For example, manufacturing remains one of the sectors most likely to report that their vacancies are hard to fill for skill related reasons, despite declining employment levels and this has been persistent over the Employer Skills Survey series throughout the 21st century; skilled trades is the occupation in which employers are most likely to report skill-shortage vacancies. These variations, in addition to geographical variation, raise questions about how local and national governments ensure the maximum value of any policy response, which needs to be mindful of the variations in experiences reported here and the contextual factors which shape these experiences.

But there are questions for businesses too as the survey raises questions about the levels of demand for, and use of, skills by employers and whether these are at the right levels for the business. For example, the survey shows that a minority of businesses operate high performance working practices but those that do have a higher demand for skills; that managers are the occupational group least likely to receive training, but will be instrumental in decisions about business and people strategies; that two million staff have skills not currently being used in the workplace and that the impacts of skill shortages reported by employers have the potential to be very damaging to business, yet the persistence of many skill deficiencies suggests that training decisions, in some businesses at least, may be sub-optimal. At a micro-level, these factors may be damaging for the business; at a macro-level, they could be damaging for the UK economy and hamper the sustainability of UK economic growth.

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In early 2015, the South Australian Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Gail Gago requested that the Training and Skills Commission seek feedback from industry in order to identify priority qualifications for each industry sector over the next five-10 years. The objective and outcome of this consultation included the development of an industry priority qualifications (IPQ) list which will be used to help guide future government investment in training and skills development, and specifically, future iterations of South Australia's Subsidised Training List.

A survey was chosen as the primary method to gain feedback on IPQs, however, numerous qualitative inputs were also used to complement the quantitative data from the survey. There was an unprecedented level of industry engagement and buy-in to produce the final IPQ report, including: initial survey design and testing; survey promotion and community engagement from key industry stakeholders; moderation and qualitative feedback on survey results; development of a model to convert the priorities of 18 industry sectors into an overall list for the state; and significant feedback from industry following the release of the interim report in November 2015. This approach to consultation received strong support from industry stakeholders. The survey received 850 responses from across industry including employers, registered training organisations, government bodies, non-government organisations, industry associations, industry skills councils, unions and individuals. The final IPQ report was published in early March 2016. It includes a summary of the survey results, qualitative feedback from industry on their skills needs into the future, and a list of qualifications sorted into priority tiers for each [Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification] ANZSIC industry and for South Australia overall.

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