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This analysis is aimed at planners and providers of future education and training, who need to assess anticipated demands for skills in their own area or sector. It draws together information from a variety of different sources about labour market trends and the demand for, and supply of, skills in the United Kingdom (UK), based on material provided by the Policy Studies Institute. Data sources include household surveys, official projections and registers and surveys of educational participation and attainment. The information provides a starting point for the detailed planning and assessment of likely demand and trends in the supply of skills, as projected and regional trends likely to have an impact on the labour market are included. Show less

This is a study of the interaction between national employment policy and local employment policies. Eight case studies were selected and examined. Issues associated with national and local work are explored. The case studies suggested that attempts to integrate local and national policies did face some difficulties. The benefits, impacts and problems are discussed. The final section looks at the implications this raises for national policy development. 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

This report presents a follow-up to the 1997 National Adult Learning Survey (NALS). This was a baseline survey that explored participation in a variety of adult learning experiences. With the increased participation in learning at postcompulsory stage and the variety of learning opportunities available, attention is now turning to learning paths. An analysis of learning paths can give a better understanding of how and why people learn and aid in understanding learning experience in parallel with employment change and other key life events. This report addresses these issues using a sub-sample of just under 1,000 NALS 97 respondents. See TD/TNC 63.07 for the 1997 National Adult Learning Survey and TD/TNC 62.661 for the summary of the 1997 National Adult Learning Survey (NALS). 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 authors of this paper begin with an overview which examines business services and the knowledge economy. They define the three major sectors as management consultancy, advertising, and market research, which they collectively label 'creative business services'. The following three sections address business trends, and employment and skills for each of these three major sectors. The fifth section looks at overall patterns and explanations, focusing on employment structures, skill development and recruitment. The authors conclude with fifteen comprehensive statements on identified skills issues within the sectors, derived from their analysis.

Other research reports in this series are indexed from TD/TNC 62.633 to TD/TNC 62.647 and from TD/TNC 62.649 to TD/TNC 62.651. Show less

This study aims to clarify and provide data on the take-up of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) across industrial sectors. It uses appropriate specific categories and subgroups of employers, to provide evidence of specific industry factors that effect the take-up of NVQs and SVQs and any factors that are common to all employers. It also explores the critical factors which lead employees working towards NVQs and SVQs amongst those employers offering the opportunity to gain these qualifications. The study is comprised of a literature review, surveys, and interviews held across the forestry, water, food and drink manufacture, information technology, public administration, hospitality, residential care and retail sectors. Show less

The National Skills Task Force was set up to ensure that Britain has the skills needed to ensure high levels of employment, be competitive in the global marketplace and provide opportunities for all. It presents a vision for modernising Britain's education and training system. This publication reports on the first three months' work of the Task Force, which which will provide advice on skills needs and shortages, practical measures to raise the level of sustainable employment, what changes are needed in the long term and how they can be met, and how to ensure that the education and training system responds appropriately to the identified needs.

Other reports of the National Skills Task Force are indexed from TD/TNC 62.654 to TD/TNC 62.657 and an initial response to the final report is indexed at TD/TNC 62.658. Show less

Subsidised skills training has an important role among the battery of measures that comprise the British government's policies to help long-term unemployed adults to find jobs. This study evaluates the effectiveness of such training for the individual who receives it. Does it help unemployed people to find jobs more quickly, and if so, what kinds of jobs does it lead to? Which elements in training programs are the most effective? How long-lasting are the benefits that training gives unemployed people and does it increase their potential earnings? The present evaluation focuses on a program formerly known as Training for Work (TfW). Although this program no longer exists under that name, most of the features of TfW have been retained in what is now termed 'work-based learning for unemployed adults' and such training is one of the options available to unemployed people under the New Deal. Thus the findings of the study remain highly relevant to current policy. Show less

'Learning to succeed' sets out a new structure for education and training which brings together post-16 learning across all areas and invites comments on a number of issues. This new structure will provide a more coherent planning and funding system, and higher quality learning opportunities which focus much more sharply on the economy's needs for skills. It will also provide an improved framework of support to individuals, and will encourage wider participation in all forms of education and training, particularly among non-traditional learners and those at risk of dropping out. It will also ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their potential.

Chapter 1 of this document focuses on the vision for the new millennium aimed at building a new culture of learning. Chapter 2 examines why change is necessary, highlighting the failure of the current educational system. Chapter 3 proposes the establishment of a Learning and Skills Council for England in order to improve standards. Chapter 4 proposes a framework for success beyond 16, through building a new system of planning and funding post-16 education and training. Chapter 5 outlines policies for improving quality. Chapter 6 examines the education and training of young people and proposes a learning gateway for 16 and 17 years-olds who need extra guidance and support to benefit from mainstream learning. Chapter 7 focuses on adult learning and discusses issues within the concept lifelong learning.

A summary of this policy is available in VOCEDplus at TD/INT 59.226. 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 Engineering Sector Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in the engineering sector. The introductory chapter provides details of the scope and coverage of the dialogue and describes the context, main economic trends and other factors influencing engineering skill requirements. Chapter two contains a discussion of the evidence on trends in demand for engineering skills and chapter three examines the supply and availability of such skills. Chapter four investigates the main demand-supply imbalances. The key messages are: (1) there is still a strong demand for engineering skills in the UK economy despite the long-term decline in much of engineering manufacturing; (2) there is particular demand in the fast-growing electronics and telecommunications industries; (3) a number of engineering employers are experiencing difficulty in recruiting staff mainly because of a shortage of people with relevant skills and experience; (4) skill shortages are apparent at all levels but particularly at the higher end of the occupational spectrum; and (5) the main skill gaps are in specific technical and practical skill areas but personal and generic skills are also in short supply. Show less