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The National Skills Task Force has been established by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to assist him in developing a National Skills Agenda. The Task Force was asked to provide advice on the nature, extent and pattern of skill needs and shortages, including associated recruitment difficulties, how these are likely to change and what can be done to ease such problems. This paper is one of a series that has been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.at has been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.

The author begins this paper by attempting to define both the size of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the importance of their contribution to the United Kingdom (UK) economy. Considerable changes within the sector have made precise definitions difficult. These include sectoral shifts, economic uncertainty, technological change, organisational changes, and public policy which has encouraged the growth of small businesses. Johnson analyses national evidence on SMEs and skills, and includes tables of selected results from the Skills Needs in Britain (SNIB) studies and the Cambridge SBRC surveys. The third section deals with research findings on management skills, general workforce skills, graduate and higher level skills and the use and impact of policy initiatives. The last section presents key findings and the implications for future skills needs. Johnson comments on the incidence and types of training provision, the position and influence of owner/managers, and the suggested policy directions for skills and training initiatives within the SME sector, although the heterogeneous nature of the SME sector makes it difficult to provide categorical statements about the findings.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.644 and from TD/TNC 62.646 to TD/TNC 62.651. Show less

The Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) Discretionary Fund (TDF) was introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) during 1996 and 1997 to assist TECs in realising their corporate plans and to maximise leverage from the private sector. TECs can bid for project funding with up to 50 per cent of total project costs available, with at least matching contributions required from the private sector. This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the TDF undertaken on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) by York Consulting Limited. The evaluation: (a) assessed the success of the bidding process in developing projects and achieving TDF objectives; (b) examined the performance of projects in securing private sector leverage and delivering objectives; (c) established how TDF is being used in support of TECs' local economic strategies; (d) identified examples of good practice; and (e) made recommendations for future operation of the fund. The analysis was based on interviews with TECs in the focus regions and case studies of four TECs. The evaluation indicates that the TDF has generally been successful in addressing its objectives. Its flexibility and minimal bureaucracy were highly rated by Government Offices and TECs. It has been particularly successful in allowing TECs to target areas they regard as a priority and, in this respect, it is integrated with their local economic development strategies. Show less

The National Skills Task Force has been established by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to assist him in developing a National Skills Agenda. The Task Force was asked to provide advice on the nature, extent and pattern of skill needs and shortages, including associated recruitment difficulties, how these are likely to change and what can be done to ease such problems. This paper is one of a series that has been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical appraisal of the skills issues relating to the creative industries, including how different parts of the sector have attempted to identify and meet their skills needs, the roles of different parts of the education and training sector in supplying the skills needed, and any evidence relating to the perceived failure in the United Kingdom (UK) to translate good design into good business. In his introduction, Parker identifies important issues to be addressed in the creative industries sector, including the difficulties in defining both the sector and the skills, the problems in estimating the size of the sector using standard data sources, the skills needs of specific creative industries with different work practices, and problems associated with the evaluation and measurement of particular jobs within the sector. It is pointed out that definition of the creative industries by the the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is 'those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property'. Some difficulties lie in the fact that many creative activities are subsumed within other industries and many non-creative occupations are employed within cultural or creative industries. Key characteristics are identified and an analysis is made on changing skills needs of the following sectors: multimedia; publishing; broadcasting, film and video; music; performing arts; and design. Cross-regional perspectives are addressed, the difficulties in predicting and identifying skill shortages and needs noted and consequent implications for policy identified. In his conclusion, Parker makes it clear that treating creative industries as an entity is important in matching skill needs and addressing difficulties across the sector and notes that the Labour Market and Skills Information (LMSI) focus of the Skills Task Force supports that contention.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.643 and from TD/TNC 62.645 to TD/TNC 62.651. Show less

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 Transport Sector Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in the transport sector. The transport sector is defined as covering aviation, passenger land transport, Merchant Navy, motor vehicle sales and repair, rail, road haulage, and distribution and ports. The introductory chapter explains how the transport sector is defined for the purposes of the Skills Dialogue, its importance to the UK economy, and key influences on the sector. Chapter two explores issues associated with labour market demand in terms of the numbers of employees required and skill requirements. Chapter three investigates issues linked to the supply of labour to the transport sector, including trends in the working population in general from where the sector will be recruiting. Chapter four draws together issues from previous chapters to identify areas of difficulty in the supply of skills to the sector. The report also includes an industry summary for each part of the transport sector highlighting industry facts, trends and issues. The four key messages to emerge from the report are: (1) the transport industry is huge and will require a large labour pool; (2) much of the industry skill needs will stay at the same level despite changes so vocational training needs equal treatment with higher education to continue to provide the labour required; (3) the entry criteria for Modern Apprenticeships needs changing to eliminate discrimination in those parts of the sector where initial recruitment is at age 25 or older; and (4) the needs of the transport industry are reasonably uniform across the UK so the government needs to take a national approach when addressing industry issues. Show less

Employee Development Schemes (EDSs) which have been in existence in the United Kingdom (UK) since 1989 have two essential features: (1) opportunities to voluntarily engage in learning activities which are wider than those required by the employer; and (2) support from the employer, usually in the form of cash entitlements to spend on learning activities. The overall aim of this research project was to identify the effect of EDSs on individual attitudes and commitment to learning and this report describes the findings of the project. The structure of the report is as follows: section one contains the executive summary; section two introduces the project covering the background, research objectives and methodology; section three presents the main findings and discusses the overall attitudes to, and experience of, learning, individual differences and how they relate to EDS based learning; and the last section presents six case studies. Also included are three appendices: (1) Respondent letter and self completion recruitment sheet; (2) Respondent profile; (3) Detailed topic guides. Show less

The ADAPT and EMPLOYMENT programs seek to encourage innovative policy development and practical activities focusing on the labour market. ADAPT focuses on assisting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) adapt their workforce to industrial change, the promotion of competitiveness and the prevention of unemployment, while EMPLOYMENT supports different target groups facing specific difficulties in the labour market. In May 1999, GHK Economics and Management was commissioned to undertake the final evaluation of these two programs. This evaluation was undertaken in two stages and this report presents the findings of the second stage. The report begins by providing a brief overview of the two programs and outlining the fieldwork methodology and coverage. It then summarises the findings of the 1999 fieldwork, the findings of the 2000 fieldwork by project type and the findings of the information recipient interviews. Finally, conclusions and recommendations based on the year 2000 fieldwork are provided. Also included are three annexes: (1) Summary characteristics of projects interviewed; (2) Interview checklists; (3) Good practice material. Show less

The Department for Education and Employment (DFEE) has supported a number of Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) to encourage lifetime learning amongst employees in their respective sectors. Seqal Qunice Wicksteed Limited (SQW) was commissioned in November 1995 to review the effectiveness of a sectoral approach to lifetime learning through studying how six ITOs (covering agriculture, glass, hairdressing, information technology, local government and retail) had designed and implemented their strategies. In January 1997, the remit was extended to three ITOs (covering bus and coach, hospitality and plumbing). This report outlines the role of each sector and then discusses some of the lessons learned from the study of the sectoral strategies to encourage lifetime learning. Show less

The University for Industry (UfI) is at the heart of the Government's vision for lifelong learning. It will be a public-private partnership to boost the competitiveness of business and enable individuals to improve their employability.

It will have two strategic objectives: to stimulate demand for lifelong learning amongst businesses and individuals; and to promote the availability of, and improve access to, relevant, high quality and innovative learning, in particular through the use of information and communications technologies.

The UfI will be an organisation for open and distance learning. It will have both private individuals and businesses as customers. Using modern technologies, it will broker high quality learning products and services and make them available at home, in the workplace and at learning centres countrywide. It will break down barriers to learning by making provision more flexible and accessible, by stimulating new markets to bring down costs, by offering clear, reliable information and advice and by providing opportunities for people to learn at their own pace and in convenient locations. Show less

This document reports on the progress of projects funded in round 2 of the Union Learning Fund and on the longer term impacts of the projects funded in round 1. It reviews the implementation processes and the features of effective and sustainable projects. Key success factors, such as sound project management, good project design, and effective project integration with employer learning strategies, union learning strategies or mainstream post-16 initiatives, are identified. Conclusions, implications and recommendations are outlined with a view to ensuring that the future progress and development of union capacity to support workplace learning is achieved. Show less

The British Government's Green Paper 'The learning age' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.177) emphasises both the economic and social benefits of increasing participation in learning and outlines a vision of how this goal can be achieved. Increasing employers', especially small and medium sized enterprises' (SMEs) participation in learning has been identified as a major challenge. In 1999, the Department of Education and Employment (DfEE) commissioned Segal Quince Wicksteed (SQW) to undertake research to assess employers' use and awareness of various approaches to learning and to examine the different methods of learning that enterprises are implementing, with the focus being on information learning technology (ILT). In its introductory chapter, the report outlines the background and methodology of the research. The remaining chapters are: Training systems and resources; Training activity; ILT based training; Views of provision and methods; Future use of ILT; SME extended survey; UfI sectors; Conclusion and recommendation. Also included are four appendices: Definition of UfI sector; Pilot report; Questionnaire; Case study topic guides. Show less