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Growing evaluation evidence confirms the impact of capital investment on building participation rates, retention rates and attainment, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) recognise the crucial importance for learning of the physical environment. The capital strategy is designed to support the LSC's three national priorities: (1) creating demand for learning and skills; (2) transforming the further education (FE) system to meet demand; and (3) delivering better skills, better jobs and better lives. This document describes how the LSC's capital programme will be targeted to support the delivery of the organisation's key aims and priorities.

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The 2005 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). It provides up-to-date information on the incidence, extent and nature of skills problems faced by employers and explores employers' activities and expenditure in relation to training. Over 74,500 employers were interviewed and comparisons are made with results from employer surveys dating back to 2001. This document is the main report from the survey. It is presented in seven sections: following the executive summary and introduction, section three explores the recruitment problems facing employers and their causes, focusing on the incidence, number, distribution and density of vacancies caused at least partly by a lack of skills, experience or qualifications among those applying; section four examines skills gaps within the workforce and their main causes; section five investigates the recruitment of 16-to-24-year-olds over the past 12 months and explores employers' perceptions of the work-readiness of these recruits and which skills, if any, are found to be lacking; section six focuses on training and workforce development, and explores the extent, nature and volume of training and workforce development activity; and the final section examines employer expenditure on training. Findings include: there has been little change since 2004 in the proportion of employers experiencing difficulty filling vacancies; the proportion of employers affected by skills gaps has once again decreased over the past 12 months, as it has every year since 2001; 21% of employers have recruited a young person into their first job direct from education in the past 12 months; 65% of employers have provided training in the previous 12 months, with the vast majority providing some off-the-job training; and total employer training expenditure over the previous 12 months was UKP 33.3 billion.

A related report containing the key findings is indexed at TD/TNC 86.444. Show less

Following the broadening of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) from full-time education to include young learners on two programmes within the [Learning and Skills Council] LSC funded work-based learning family, Entry to Employment (E2E) and Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLA), from April 2006, the LSC commissioned Experian and Ipsos MORI to undertake an evaluation of the extension roll out in September 2007. The objective of this research is to understand the effectiveness of the rollout of the extension of EMA, in particular in relation to the communication of EMA into the programmes; the operational procedures; and the impact on overarching LSC policy. The research was undertaken through a combination of learner and provider surveys, and [in-depth] interviews with providers. The communication of EMA into the programmes has been effective overall, although there is room for improvement in achieving higher initial awareness amongst providers of the rollout. The initial preparation procedures, providing information regarding the administration of EMA to providers, are suitable and effective. The extension of EMA to E2E and PLA has contributed to some of the core LSC targets and policies, by helping raise participation, achievement and progression, as well as creating a more level playing field, although there is potential to further enhance these impacts in the future.

Excerpts from published executive summary 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

The UK government’s 2003 Skills Strategy (indexed at TD/IRD 88.169) set out its vision to transform the national investment in skills. It outlined the rights and responsibilities of the government, providers, employers and individuals in securing the skills needed for a high performing economy and a fairer society. This consultation paper contains proposals for bringing about the changes needed to ensure that public investment is applied where it will secure the greatest benefits and that employers and individuals also contribute in line with the benefits they receive. The contents are: The need for change and priorities for public funding; Proposed approach and levers for change; Putting the new approach into operation; Developing financial support for adult learners; Next steps. Included as appendices are: Questions for consultation; Addresses of local Learning and Skills Councils. 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

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

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

This document describes the background and policies of the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) program for further education (FE) colleges, funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The CoVE program was designed to promote: lifelong learning; growth in technical and vocational specialisation; progression from vocational education to employment; and the development of excellence and best practice. These objectives are summarised in the paper, as are the criteria and funding of CoVE, and the process involved in monitoring and evaluating the program. The paper updates the arrangements by which FE colleges could propose to join the CoVE program, including details on how they may apply for financial support in the creation of their CoVEs. Information is also provided on the role played by the LSC, the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), and the local LSCs. Show less

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for people over the age of 16 in England, except those in higher education. A key goal for the LSC is to widen participation in learning. This consultation document outlines the LSC approach to a strategy for widening adult participation in education and training. The strategy applies to all LSC-funded providers engaged in the education and training of adults. It has been developed by the LSC with key partners at national, regional and local level. The strategy identifies ways in which more adults could be attracted into learning and how they may be positively engaged and retained in the learning process. The key purpose of this document is to seek advice and comment from stakeholders on the effective development of the strategy in terms of the actions proposed. The document summarises the recommended actions within five areas: a partnership approach; appropriate provision; targets and research; equality and access; and funding. The contents are: Summary recommendations; Rationale; Background; Strategy implementation: Summary of consultation issues. A number of annexes are included: DfES Public Service Agreement Targets; Key recommendations for the LSC; Steering Group; English Local Labour Force Survey 2001 - Adult Participation in Learning; Adult learning and social division: a persistent pattern. The NIACE (National Institute for Adult Continuing Education) Survey on Adult Participation in Learning 2002 (report indexed at TD/TNC 69.655); 'Learning works: widening participation in further education' (Kennedy Report, 1997) (indexed at TD/IRD 88.23); LSC strategic objectives for workforce development; Widening adult participation: ways to extend good practice. Research summary and recommendations; Response to consultation; Bibliography. Show less