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The Train to Gain service is intended to build upon the experience of Employer Training Pilots, and is available to employers as an independent and impartial brokerage service to diagnose business needs and source appropriate training provision. Brokers are contracted by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to deliver the service, which is presently moving from its pilot phase towards full national roll out. Train to Gain is available to all employers, but brokers will primarily target new, small and 'hard to reach' businesses. This report documents the first of three waves of evaluation of the pilot phase of the service, and covers employers contacted in April and May 2006. Evaluation is intended to ascertain employer ratings of importance and satisfaction about 11 key measures related to the service.

Excerpts from publication reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The 2004 National Employers Skills Survey (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 on skills and workforce development issues facing employers in England to serve as a common basis to develop policy and assess the impact of skills initiatives. The survey included 27,000 employers across all sectors of business activity in England. This report is presented in three main sections: 'Skill shortages and other recruitment difficulties' explores the scale and nature of recruitment problems, focusing on the incidence, number, distribution and density of vacancies caused at least partially by a lack of skills, experience or qualifications among those applying; 'Skills gaps within the existing workforce' examines the incidence of skills gaps within the workforce, both in terms of the frequency with which employers have skills gaps and the proportion of staff described as lacking in proficiency, and explores the main causes of skills gaps and the skills that are described as lacking among the workforce in England; 'Training and workforce development' explores the extent, nature and volume of training and workforce development activity, including the proportion of establishments that provide on- and off-the-job training, the extent to which employers plan and budget for training, and the factors that influence training activity. The findings indicate: that skills deficiencies continue to affect about a quarter of the employers; evidence of a slight easing of skills problems for employers in terms of the number of staff lacking skills and the number of vacancies where skills shortages are experienced; skills deficiencies affect different size and sector of employer, and occupational group, very differently; and there have been significant increases in the proportion of employers with training plans.

The key findings report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 83.264. Show less

This publication presents a number of case studies where technology has been used as a means of improving learner outcomes. It shares what was done, why and, most importantly, the improvements that were secured as a result. The illustrative case studies share how technology can be used to good effect to bring about improvement to, for example, value-added, and tracking and target setting. The case studies signal the way forward to other providers across the sector seeking similar developments, and provide food for thought as well as some practical solutions. The projects described focus on raising retention and achievement and learner outcomes more widely, where technology per se was not the main aim but more the vehicle for securing that improvement. As such, the spotlight is on the direction and journey undertaken by the providers as they focused on improving their learners’ outcomes using technology as the means of securing that improvement.

Excerpt from published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The Modern Apprenticeship Advisory Committee was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in March 2001 to provide advice to the Secretary and the Learning and Skills Council on a three year action plan for the development, promotion and delivery of Modern Apprenticeships in the United Kingdom (UK). The initial sections of the report provide a rationale for the development of an apprenticeship system, and an outline of the current situation after recent reforms. Recommendations are made in relation to the essential aspects of a national framework for apprenticeships, development in the content and certification of apprenticeships, the delivery of apprenticeships, and pre-employment and 'other training'. The report also provides projections of targets for the eventual place of apprenticeships within the education and training system, suggests basic entitlements to apprenticeship places, and looks at aspects of the task of promoting apprenticeships. The report concludes with a suggested timetable for the implementation of the action plan and a summary of recommendations. Annexes contain the terms of reference and committee membership, representations from various organisations, market research outcomes, participation statistics for apprenticeships by sector and gender, and the timetable for implementation. Show less

This document contains the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) priorities and key actions for 2006-07. The six priorities are: (1) ensure that all 14-19 year olds have access to high quality, relevant learning opportunities; (2) make learning truly demand-led so that it better meets the needs of employers, young people and adults; (3) transform the learning and skills sector through agenda for change; (4) strengthen the role of the LSC in economic development so that we provide the skills needed to help all individuals into jobs and lifelong employability; (5) improve the skills of the workers who are delivering public services; and (6) strengthen the capacity of the LSC to lead change nationally, regionally and locally. Show less

The fourth National Employers Skills Survey (NESS) has revealed a steady upward trend in most areas of skills development, according to the views of over 79,000 employers. NESS gathers and analyses data on the issues employers face in terms of recruitment, skills gaps and training. The findings are positive with fewer employers reporting skills gaps and the percentage of all vacancies caused by skills shortage, showing a marked fall. There has been an increase in the proportion of employers providing training, holding a training plan and budget, which has led to an increase in the cost of training for employers of 15.9 per cent compared to 2005. Key findings from the survey include: 67 per cent of establishments have funed or arranged training in the last year; Employer training spend for 2007 was 38.6 billion [British pounds] an increase of 16 per cent (10 per cent when inflation is taken into account); Almost half of employers have a training plan and over a third have a training budget; There has been a reduction in the number of vacancies caused by lack of skills (25 per cent in 2005 compared to 21 per cent in 2007). The study was undertaken in collaboration with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA).

A related report containing the key findings is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 95.555. Show less

UK government policy already explicitly recognises the potential role of migration to address labour market deficiencies, especially in key professions and some unskilled jobs. Migration is also increasingly being viewed as a solution for replacing workers who are retiring and not being replaced at the younger end of the workforce because of falling birth rates.

This report contains the findings of the research by the task group set up by the adult learning committee of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which aimed to gain a better knowledge of the current position of learning and skills issues in relation to migrants. The ultimate objective was to determine the key issues relating to skills and migration, and to consider how this can inform LSC policy.

Excerpt from published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS), undertaken by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), provides an overview of delivery and satisfaction with education and training among learners aged 16 or over in England. The NLSS 2004/05, carried out between February and June 2005, looked at a range of programs and interviewed learners about their perceptions of the delivery of education and training and their satisfaction levels in relation to the quality of teaching, management of learning, pre-entry advice and guidance, learner support, benefits and impacts of learning. The focus of this report is on adult and community learning (ACL) provision. Key messages include: 33 per cent of learners were 'extremely' satisfied with their overall learning experience; male learners were more satisfied than female learners and younger learners and learners from minority ethnic groups all displayed lower levels of satisfaction; learners with disabilities were more satisfied overall than those without; and the most common reasons given for leaving the course early were health reasons, excess workload, wrong course and problems with the quality of teaching. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Overall satisfaction with the learning experience; Overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching/training; Information and guidance prior to entry; Support for learners; Impact of learning and attitudes to learning.

Reports from the 2004/05 NLSS are indexed at TD/TNC 86.393 and from TD/TNC 87.439 to TD/TNC 87.443. Show less

The National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS), undertaken by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), provides an overview of delivery and satisfaction with education and training among learners aged 16 or over in England. The NLSS 2004/05, carried out between February and June 2005, looked at a range of programs and interviewed learners about their perceptions of the delivery of education and training and their satisfaction levels in relation to the quality of teaching, management of learning, pre-entry advice and guidance, learner support, benefits and impacts of learning. The focus of this report is on work-based learning (WBL) provision. Key messages include: nine in 10 learners reported some level of satisfaction with their experience overall; in terms of quality of delivery, eight per cent thought that the provider/college was badly run/disorganised and eight per cent mentioned specific problems with tutors/trainers or assessors; female learners appeared to be more satisfied with their overall learning experience; learners with disabilities were slightly less likely to state that they were either 'extremely' or 'very' satisfied with their experience overall; learners in minority ethnic groups were less likely to state that they were either 'extremely' or 'very' satisfied with their learning experience; and the most common reason cited overall for leaving the course early was that the course or program was wrong for the learner. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Overall satisfaction with the learning experience; Overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching/training; Information and guidance prior to entry; Support for learners; Impact of learning and attitudes to learning.

Reports from the 2004/05 NLSS are indexed at TD/TNC 86.393 and from TD/TNC 87.439 to TD/TNC 87.443. Show less

In September 2001, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) established the Distributed and Electronic Learning Group (DELG) to advise on strategies through which distributed and electronic learning (DEL) could be employed to contribute to its mission to equip young people and adults in the UK with world class knowledge and skills by the year 2010. Electronic learning (e-learning) is defined as learning with the assistance of information and communications technology (ICT) tools. DELG’s major task was to provide advice to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) on the delivery of a coordinated strategy for securing delivery of new forms of learning, specifically the innovative use of information technology, locally, regionally and nationally. The inquiry addressed the role of DEL in promoting social inclusion and widening participation in education and in workforce development. It also examined how DEL could be accommodated within funding, accountability and monitoring systems, the appropriate types of learning systems, delivery and content, and how to meet quality and evaluation needs. This report provides an analysis of the implications, challenges and opportunities generated by the increasing use of ICTs in British society and the associated growth of e-learning. The report also contains a number of recommendations as to how the LSC can best provide leadership and influence these developments. The recommendations are intended to facilitate effective LSC support and high quality provision for e-learners in the post-16 educational sector. Show less