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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

A series of pre-vocational pilots (PVPs) were introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) in April 1996. The pilots tested a number of models of pre-vocational training in order to identify whether there are training methods which can help prepare unemployed people, who have learning needs not being effectively met through mainstream training, to take up vocational training or to gain employment. This document is a summary of a report on the findings from a case study evaluation of nine PVPs. A key aim of the report is to identify examples of good practice and factors which are associated with success in order to facilitate the delivery of effective pre-vocational training. The case studies: (a) assessed the appropriateness of the provision of training to participants; (b) described the operation of the pilots in practice; (c) provided early feedback on the outcomes and achievements of participants; and (d) assessed the relative effectiveness of different approaches and models. Factors contributing to the success of the pilots are: the demand for this type of supported program; the provision of ongoing assessment, vocational training and work experience, advice and guidance, and personal support; flexibility within the model to respond to individual client needs; and the support of effective partnerships and networking between all organisations involved. Show less

Impact Assessments are an important management tool. A well-designed Impact Assessment will go beyond basic monitoring to provide an examination of real results. While there are a number of approaches to assessing the impact of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) on their local areas, no single method exists that will satisfactorily encompass the differing roles TECs can take in their local economies. This document attempts to show how evaluators can develop their own tailored approach to measuring local impact, as well as identifying potential areas of complexity and confusion, and how the results of such exercises can be exercised to the full. 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 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

This report describes women and training in Britain. It includes a literature review and a secondary analysis of the Labour Force Survey. The key aims were: (1) to provide a comprehensive review of published research on women and training; (2) to identify key research issues and gaps in knowledge; (3) to identify available sources of unpublished data; (4) to assess the usefulness and limitations of existing data sources for exploring the issue of gender and training; and, (5) to suggest data sources for future work on employer-funded training and on the relationship between training, promotion and occupational mobility. Sections focus in particular on the changing position of women in the labour market and the implications for training, gender differences in access, gender differences in the nature and quality of training, women and publicly-funded training and barriers/areas to be addressed in the future. Show less

The increased participation in higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) in the 1990s has resulted in a more highly-qualified workforce. Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR) was commissioned by the Department of Education and Employment (DfEE) to undertake a study examining the impact on the labour market and on the graduates themselves of the rapid expansion in the number of graduates entering the labour market. It also investigated whether the skills possessed by the graduates were under-utilised in the work they did. This report is presented in two volumes. Volume one reports on the findings of the study and contains the following chapters: Summary; Introduction and method; The nature of graduate employment: recent changes and contributing factors; The nature and value of 'graduate skills'; Recruitment methods used to obtain graduates; Use of graduate skills in the workplace; Graduates' early career trajectories: from university into the labour market; Implications of the expansion of higher education: recommendations from employers and graduates; Industry sector profiles of graduate recruitment and skills utilisation; Conclusions. Volume two presents the background and technical details and contains the following chapters: Sample details; Technical details (quantitative stage); Analysis of labour force survey data. Also included as appendices are: Advance letter to personnel managers; Instruction sheet; Managers' questionnaire; Covering letter to line managers; Covering letter to graduates; Graduate questionnaire; Explanatory letter: qualitative study; Topic guide for employers; Topic guide for employees. Show less

The 1994 Competitiveness White Paper in England 'Helping businesses to win' and its Welsh equivalent 'People and prosperity' drew on a range of evidence to establish the competitive importance of immediate skills to the performance of the economy. Among the new measures that were put in place were new funds for further education (FE). The Competitiveness Fund (CF) was created to support capital projects in FE provision to meet local labour market priorities while the Development Fund (DF) projects aimed at improving access, quality and associated aspects of provision. In 1995, The HOST Consultancy was commissioned to conduct an evaluation of the labour market benefits of the new funds. This final report is based on research of FE colleges, employers, Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and others involved in seven projects from the first year of the CF. It identifies factors contributing to successful projects and the issues requiring further development to improve project performance. It is structured as follows: the first chapter provides the background, the objectives and scope and the research approach of the evaluation; chapter two explores the positioning of the targeted CF bids and their rationale; the third chapter examines the evidence from colleges of their relationships with TECs, capacity and use of labour market information (LMI) in relation to their CF bids; chapter four reviews the CF links with the strategic goals and capacity of colleges as set out in their strategic plans; chapter five examines the way CF case study projects were managed and resourced; chapter six reviews the involvement of employers in the projects; chapter seven looks at the outcomes from the seven CF projects which form the basis of this evaluation; and the final chapter discusses issues and implications for policy makers and others concerned with the effectiveness of the CF. Also included are three appendices: (1) The distribution of new funds; (2) Methodology; (3) The survey employers in context. Show less

This study aimed to estimate employers' total financial contribution to Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) and Youth Training (YT) in England for the period 1995 to 1996. This is the payment made directly to the trainee or on the trainee's behalf by the employer. Other contributions by the employer, such as on-the-job supervision and premise overheads, were not covered. Show less

This report describes the characteristics of the unemployed from the Family and Working Lives Survey (FWLS). The intention was to analyse the characteristics of the unemployed to begin to answer some questions. How does an individual's unemployment history interact with other aspects of personal history and with general economic events? How does the labour market status of partners interact when one of them becomes unemployed? What is the effect of benefit receipt on re-employment probabilities? What are the effects of training on various types of re-employment probabilities following unemployment? What are the destinations of the long-term unemployed? What are the job search methods of the unemployed? This report identifies the most important determinants of the duration and incidence of individual unemployment and how these compare and contrast. Show less