Engaging employers and developing skills at the local level in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

With the rising economic importance of human resources and skills, employment and training agencies are now often expected to play a more important role in local strategies to support new job creation, facilitate restructuring and increase productivity. The OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme has developed a series of Reviews on Local Job Creation to examine the contribution of local labour market policy to boosting quality employment and enhancing productivity. The success of skills development activities through both on- and off-the job training often...  [+] Show more

With the rising economic importance of human resources and skills, employment and training agencies are now often expected to play a more important role in local strategies to support new job creation, facilitate restructuring and increase productivity. The OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme has developed a series of Reviews on Local Job Creation to examine the contribution of local labour market policy to boosting quality employment and enhancing productivity.

The success of skills development activities through both on- and off-the job training often depends on the participation of employers. This report on Northern Ireland, United Kingdom identifies a number of innovative programmes that aim to better engage employers in the design and delivery of training. It also looks at the role of local district councils in working closer with employers to better understand and address their skills challenges. A key part of the project was the implementation of a survey to gather information from Northern Irish employers about their skills needs and barriers to apprenticeship participation. The report offers a number of recommendations for improving business-education partnerships in emerging sectors of the Northern Ireland economy.

Abstract from publisher's website.