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The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of apprenticeship training, and compare this to the cost effectiveness of other forms of vocational qualification provision in the UK. The study: focusses on government funded apprenticeship rather than traditional apprenticeships; considers changes over time; compares the impact of apprenticeships to that of other vocational qualifications; and includes information on costs to the individual, the employer and the state in a full cost-benefit analysis. Findings indicate that: the estimates reveal substantial wage returns in 2004/5 to Modern Apprenticeships, of around 18% at level three and 16% at level two, compared to individuals whose highest qualification is at level two, or at level one or two respectively; significant wage returns are observed for women for the first time in the study of apprenticeships in the UK, specifically of 14% to a level three (Modern) Apprenticeship; the estimated wage returns to apprenticeships are rising, particularly for Modern Apprenticeships; there is significant variation in the estimated wage returns to apprenticeships, depending on the sector in which the former apprentice works; and the wage returns to apprenticeships, particularly Modern Apprenticeships are considerably higher than for other vocational qualifications, such as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Business and Technology Education Councils (BTECs) and City and Guilds. Show less

A two volume report of the evidence on the demand for, and supply of, skills in England has been produced by Warwick University's Institute for Employment Research (IER) on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in association with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Volume one provides a national overview of the key issues and challenges facing those charged with delivering skills. Volume two provides a detailed review of the evidence on changing skill requirements at sectoral and local levels. This volume contains the following chapters: Introduction - measurement and value of skills; International evidence on skills; The demand for skills; The supply of skills; Skills deficiencies and imbalances; Future skill needs; Key challenges; Annex A - classification of skill. Includes glossary and references.

Volume two is indexed at TD/TNC 73.591. 'Key messages from Skills in England 2002' is indexed at TD/TNC 73.368. Show less

This report presents the outcomes of the final evaluation of the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF) funded UK online centres. The centres were intended to ‘bridge the gap between those in society who have access to information and communications technology (ICT) and are able to use it competently and confidently and those who do not’. The focus of the initiative was on adults in disadvantaged communities with six specified target groups: unemployed people; single parents; people with disabilities; minority ethnic groups; people with basic skills needs; and people over the age of 60 who had not been involved in learning for some time. The initiative was launched in 2000 and by November 2002, 6,000 online centres had been established, over half of these with CMF funding. The evaluation of CMF centres was designed to assess the impact and efficiency of the program as a whole and to identify specifically whether participants increased their ICT skills and the extent to which participants are achieving short- and long-term outcomes as a result of improving their ICT skills and having access to ICT. The study also explored the issue of ‘deadweight’, or activity that would have happened in any case, the extent of deadweight loss, and the broader impact of the centres on individuals and the community in general. The evaluation found that the centres reached the target groups with almost two thirds of those using the centres in one of the six priority target groups. The study did not identify significant levels of ‘deadweight’ and most respondents to the initial user survey (84%) stated that they had learned new skills they would not have acquired otherwise. Many users progress to further learning and employment and over 90% expressed satisfaction with the centres. In terms of overall program impact, the evidence suggests that many centres are not reaching many people in the most excluded groups. In addition, the evidence infers that only those with Internet access at home, work or college have ‘truly crossed the digital divide’. The report makes recommendations for the future of online centres. Show less

This paper sets out the challenges that Britain's workforce will face in the increasingly competitive global economy and the steps that the government will take to ensure that all adults are equipped with the skills they need for sustainable employment and have the opportunity to improve these skills throughout their working life. It is presented in five chapters. The introductory chapter discusses the global challenges ahead and the government's planned response. The second chapter highlights the importance of skills to the economy in improving productivity, reducing economic and social disparities across society, and in meeting global competitiveness. The UK's historic skills are outlined and its current skills distribution is compared to those of other countries. Chapter three outlines the government's current approach to improving skills and recent progress in this area. Chapter four describes how the government will build on this progress to ensure that all low-skilled adults have the opportunity to achieve basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, required for employability and progression. The final chapter summarises the government's approach outlined in this paper. Show less

Connexions is an advice service for 13-19 years olds in the UK to help, support and guide young people through their teenage years. Connexions personal advisers (PAs) provide assistance with life choices ranging from careers, further education, and training, to health and lifestyle issues. The Connexions Customer Information System (CCIS) is designed to support the work of the Connexions Service to provide a better service to young people by improving the information that is held, used and shared about them. The system will facilitate information sharing between agencies at both national and local levels. The system was been piloted by Cornwall & Devon and Greater Merseyside partnerships between November 2001 and April 2002. The aim of the pilot was to test and develop the specification and demonstrate how CCIS might work in practice. This evaluation of the pilot focuses on the business process aspects of implementing the CCIS, for example, the nature of working relations between the Connexions partnerships and other organisations, the impact of the CCIS agenda on those relations and the everyday work of staff dealing with young people, and the implications for the feasibility of the CCIS objectives. In particular, it explores the perspectives of three key groups of stakeholders: PAs; Connexions managers; and managers of partner organisations. The evaluation found that the pilots successfully achieved their objective of implementing and testing CCIS specification prior to national implementation. Partner organisations and PAs found the system beneficial to their work. Previously informal information sharing was considered in a more formalised way during the pilot. Informed client consent to information exchange was viewed among partners as a defining parameter for any operable information exchange system. Show less

In 2000, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) launched an initiative aimed at providing basic information and communications technology (ICT) skills to unemployed and economically inactive people. The initiative, 'UK online computer training', delivered courses through existing training providers from both the private and public sectors in a range of locations throughout the UK. This document reports on research used to evaluate the initiative, particularly its effectiveness in providing basic ICT training to the 'information poor' and the extent to which the training helped recipients to come off social security benefits and onto positive outcomes such as employment. The specific objectives were to: (a) identify all individuals participating in the training and their resulting outcomes; (b) identify the extent to which individual and other factors were related to participation and course completion; (c) identify and assess the factors which contributed toward coming off benefits and entering employment; (d) identify the extent to which courses have facilitated employment in comparison to the results of not participating in such courses. The report presents explanatory notes and summarised findings in relation to online participants, courses from the perspective of participants, training providers, and the impact of courses. Qualitative and quantitative research was undertaken and the appendices contain further information on the research method and the participants. Show less

The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) is the largest of its kind ever commissioned, and aims to investigate the extent, causes and implications of England's recruitment problems and skills gaps, and at the same time measure employers' training activities. The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) commissioned reports from a number of Sector Skills Councils, and this report summarises the NESS 2003 for the Asset Skills Sector Skills Council. This sector covers the property, housing, cleaning and facilities management sub-sectors. NESS data was limited to two of these sub-sectors (real estate and industrial cleaning), and in total 3,268 interviews were conducted with establishments in this sector. Employers were asked about specific skills they require now and skills they expected to be required in three years time. Communication and customer handling skills are identified as being most important in administrative occupations, with only a minority indicating a need for IT skills, while in the case of elementary staff, employers highlighted very few skill requirements. The report also considers the extent of recruitment difficulties and skill gaps, and finds that: four per cent of establishments in the asset skills sector face hard-to-fill vacancies; 17 per cent of establishments suffer from internal skill gaps, with staff being regarded as less than fully proficient; the highest densities of vacancies lie within smaller firms; vacancies and skill gaps are spread fairly evenly across the sector, but the largest proportion of all vacancies are found amongst the sales and customer service staff and elementary staff; elementary staff account for 39 per cent of all jobs with a skills gap; the main causes of skill gaps are primarily perceived to be due to staff being recently recruited or having a lack of experience; and the main causes of hard-to-fill vacancies are a lack of interest in this type of work, and a low number of applicants with the required skills. Barriers to developing and maintaining a proficient team of staff in the asset skills sector are identified as including: lack of time for training for those with skill gaps; a lack of cover for training; and a lack of funds for training. The report also considers issues associated with employer engagement in developing their workforce. Show less

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002 by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in order to 'create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds who can benefit most'. Partnerships between schools and colleges and training providers were formed and two cohorts of Year 10 students began two-year vocational courses including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), other Vocational Qualifications (VQs) and new General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSEs) in vocational subjects. The partnerships aimed to enhance student attainment, develop their skills, knowledge and social learning, and increase retention in education and training after 16. As part of the evaluation of IFP, the DfES commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to undertake a program of case study visits to nine IFP partnerships. The purpose was to investigate the extent to which IFP had become 'embedded in partnership provision and the wider 14-19 agenda' and factors that affected this process either positively or negatively. Specific objectives were to: identify the current partnership arrangements and the extent to which these had changed in relation to the nature of the cohorts and models of delivery; explore the development of IFP including the extent to which it had become embedded in institutions' provision; examine staff's perceptions of the contribution of IFP, and their partnerships' experience, to the transition into the new 14-19 arrangements; investigate the perceived outcomes for young people, staff and institutions from participating in IFP; and explore young people's experience of participating in IFP including their reasons for participating, experience of the program and the main outcomes including their intended future progression. The overall success of the partnerships was indicated by the generally positive view of staff and students about working in partnerships. In addition, the membership of the partnerships had remained stable or had consolidated over the four years of the program. Partnerships with more effective outcomes were characterised by clear selection criteria acknowledged by both college and school staff, effective support for students, and good communication at operational and partnership levels. Show less

This report provides an evaluation of an initiative to develop adult residential provision aimed at widening the participation of hard-to-reach learners. The initiative was coordinated by a team from the Adult Residential Colleges Association (ARCA) and was designed to contribute to the UK government objective of 'widening participation in learning as a route to promoting social inclusion'. The ARCA project involved widening participation of individual learners in existing ARCA provision and attracting groups of hard-to-reach learners through specifically designed provision including outreach and residential learning. Overall, 472 learners were drawn from particular socially excluded groups and hard-to-reach learners including adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The two-stage evaluation involved collecting survey data from all participants and five case studies of selected programs to provide a detailed evaluation and analysis of specific courses. The evaluation investigated the effectiveness of the programs, the added value of residential provision for learners, and the costs of residential provision. The overall conclusions offer a summary and recommendations for future initiatives in relation to generic themes identified in the evaluation. These are: program design; target groups; recruitment, advice and guidance; learning benefits; added value of residential provision; and progression. Show less

Employee development schemes (EDS) are schemes that provide employees with access to opportunities for personal development not directly associated with their current job role and responsibilities. Evidence on how EDS are developing and operating is lacking and this current research study updates the evidence and addresses information gaps. The research: (a) estimates the number of employers currently offering EDS to their employees; (b) identifies trends in how EDS has been developing over recent years; (c) assesses the potential benefits of running an EDS for both the employer and individual employees; (d) provides case studies illustrating differential practice in EDS implementation and organisation; (e) develops a typology of schemes; and (f) provides evidence on the extent to which schemes are formally evaluated by organisations and by funding bodies. A broad-ranging methodology was used, comprising a review of available evidence and literature, mapping current EDS arrangements, a national EDS sample survey of employers, and identification and conduct of EDS case studies. The findings indicate a reduction in employer support for EDS since previous research undertaken in 1998 and a greater degree of fragmentation in coordination as Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) withdrew funding, but a significant increase in participation of organisations with less than 100 employees. Show less