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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.

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

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.

This paper examines how economists forecast skill needs, how the economy responds to a lack of skills and the economic consequences of not anticipating skills needs. Following an introduction and summary, the authors first of all examine skills shortages and why we need to anticipate skill needs. They identify the results of skill shortages such as lower quality, lower productivity and higher wages and note the impact of the measures taken by firms to adjust to these shortages. They then discuss the difficulties implicit in leaving it to market mechanisms to address the problems. Finally, they analyse how economists attempt to forecast skills. They discuss occupational forecasting and whether it can be a useful indicator for predicting skill change, question the links between occupations and skills and present some case study examples of skill changes, particularly multi-skilling, in large organisations.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.634 to TD/TNC 62.651. 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.

This paper considers issues relating to the measurement of skill for national statistical purposes, drawing on research leading to the revision of the national occupational classification for the United Kingdom (UK), SOC90. (Note: the revised classification will be referred to as SOC2000.) It aims to provide advice on the measurement of skill and the monitoring of change and to explain how the revised classification will affect the analysis of skill change and lead to a re-examination of forecasting of occupational structure. During the two-year revision process, perceived inadequacies were identified and the paper notes the major problems of definition that arose. Following the introduction, Section 2 presents a brief history of occupational classification in the UK. Section 3 describes the conceptual basis of the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). Section 4 looks at problems with SOC90 and the constraints placed on the process. Section 5 briefly discusses the major processes of labour market change which shaped the revision. Section 6 identifies the sources and methods that were used in investigating occupational change. Section 7 presents an outline of the major changes to be introduced within SOC2000. Section 8 presents the authors' conclusions, in which they point out the difficulties caused by the speed of change in both skill areas and work organisation, but also maintain that this will be a better tool for the measurement of skill and for job-matching purposes.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.650. 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.as been commissioned to review and evaluate existing literature in a number of skills-related areas.

This paper examines the extent, nature and implications of spatial variations in skill levels across England. Following the introduction, Section 2 examines the reasons why skills are important to localities. In addition to the obvious potential for stimulating employment, earnings and living standards, the authors identify other important reasons such as globalisation, which is increasing competitive pressure both nationally and internationally, technological change which is transforming work organisation, and the consequent importance of ensuring that skill deficiencies and gaps are addressed. Section 3 looks at the extent and nature of spatial skill variations in the workforce as a whole and with young people at school. In Section 4 the authors look at the variations locally within 3 levels - at age 11, age 16 and in the workforce as a whole. Section 5 concentrates on the effects that spatial skill variations have on local economic performance - employment, competitiveness, earning and deprivation. Finally, Section 6 presents the implications for policy and future research and summarises the conclusions. The authors maintain that spatial skill variations are substantial at all levels of qualification both for young people and the workforce as a whole and that they are systematic, in that low skill localities are generally low skill at age 11, age 16 and in the workforce as a whole.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.645 and from TD/TNC 62.647 to TD/TNC 62.651. Show less

A National Skills Task Force was established to assist the UK government in developing a National Skills Agenda. The Task Force provided evidence on the nature, extent and pattern of skill needs and shortages in the UK and possible directions for their future development. This evidence was summarised in 'Skills for all: research report from the National Skills Task Force', published in June 2000 (indexed at TD/TNC 62.657). This report is one of a number of associated reports containing detailed information on various aspects of this research. These reports are indexed from TD/TNC 65.225 to TD/TNC 65.232. Other reports related to the National Skills Task Force are indexed from TD/TNC 62.653 to TD/TNC 62.656 and at TD/TNC 62.658.

The aim of this report is to provide a detailed assessment of skill needs and the extent and impact of skill deficiencies within the telecommunications sector which is changing rapidly under the combined impact of technological and market changes as well as the effects of deregulation. The report is based on 10 case studies from a cross-section of this sector and contains the following sections: Executive summary; Aims and context; Industry context, case studies and methodology; Products, process and markets; Human resource policies and practices; Knowledge and skill needs; Recruitment difficulties; Skill gaps. References and appendices are also included. Show less

The Modern Apprenticeship (MA) program was introduced to improve the supply of intermediate level of skills in the United Kingdom (UK). The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) commissioned a study in 1998 to evaluate employers' views and experiences of MAs. This study set out to: (1) evaluate the impact MAs are having on the quantity and quality of work-based training for young people; (2) determine the extent to which the MA program has been effective in overcoming skill shortages and in improving skill levels; (3) assess whether the program provided value for money; and (4) provide some guidance in delivering and maintaining high quality training. The study, based on interviews with employers, found that while there was room for some improvements, overall, the MAs were meeting the needs and expectations of both employers and apprentices. 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.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 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 main aim of this study of the banking, finance and insurance sector is to identify the implications of recent and projected changes in employment on the types and levels of skills required. It also examines the impact of organisational and technological change. The author begins by defining the main activities undertaken in the sector, the composition of employment and the gender and occupational structures. Hasluck then looks more closely at the background to previous employment growth and current developments, presenting supporting tables on employment trends, employment change and employment projections. Finally, Hasluck identifies skill shortages and gaps and presents the conclusions as a series of key messages which acknowledge the volatile nature of the financial sector.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.640 and from TD/TNC 62.642 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 Construction, Professional Services, and Extractive Mineral Processing Sector Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in this sector. The sector is broad and includes all industries that contribute to the development of buildings and infrastructure. These include extraction and processing of raw materials, construction including installation of gas, electrical and plumbing appliances, and services such as architecture, civil engineering and project management. Chapter one looks at the key features of the industries, chapter two investigates changing skill demands, chapter three explores skill supply, and chapter four examines skill mismatches. It was difficult to generalise trends due to the broad range of activities undertaken in these industries. However, in chapter five, some conclusions are drawn. The construction industry is experiencing high levels of skill shortages, professional services are experiencing skills shortages and the creation of a skilled 'technician' role, that can be performed by non-graduates, is being considered. There is a general consensus that change needs to take place in five areas: (1) recruitment; (2) reducing reliance on unqualified site workers; (3) reviewing the skills of workers at craft level; (4) adressing quality in frontline supervisory and perhaps technician posts; and (5) recruitment of managers and professionals into the industry. Show less