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The Foundation Degree Taskforce released its report to UK government Ministers on 2nd September 2004. The report contains several recommendations aimed at embedding Foundation degrees within the UK higher education system. It presents the case for further expansion of Foundation degrees in England, documents the progress already made and outlines the next steps in establishing the new qualification. Research into the current and future skill shortages in the UK reveal a need for associate professional and higher technician level jobs. Foundation degrees have been developed in consultation with employers to address these skill shortages. A number of objectives for the development of Foundation degrees have been identified: (1) to contribute to the reduction in skill shortages at the associate professional and higher technician level by equipping students with a combination of technical skills, academic knowledge and transferable skills that are valued by employers and students; (2) to expand the number and range of Foundation degrees and contribute to widening participation by providing flexible and accessible progression routes for young people starting careers, those in employment, and those returning to work; and (3) to promote collaboration between employers, Regional Development Agencies, Sector Skills Councils, universities, and higher and further education colleges in developing Foundation degrees. 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 Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather, and Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in these industries. These industries have faced a difficult transformation over the past three decades as a result of overseas competition and technological change. The report provides overviews of these industries, examines issues related to the demand for, and supply of, skills, including employment change, occupational change, skill requirements, skills gaps and shortages, and summarises common skills issues. The report suggests that to maintain competitiveness, the industries will need to further enhance skills, particularly in management, marketing and technical expertise. Major skills issues common to these industries are: (1) changes to the skills mix resulting from the transition to a combination of UK and overseas production; (2) overall skills deficiencies exacerbated by lack of experience and of basic skills; (3) skills gaps particularly at management levels and for clerical, craft and plant and machine operatives; (4) the equal demand for soft skills and technical and information technology (IT) related skills; and (5) that recruitment and skills problems are responsible for business problems and delays in developing new products. 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 Tourism and Cultural Industries Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in these industries. The ability of these industries to compete successfully on a global stage relies on raising service standards to meet rising customer expectations and choice. In the UK, competitive weakness is mainly a result of growing skills gaps and shortages. The report covers a number of sectors: hotels and catering; arts and entertainment; cultural, natural and built heritage; travel, tourism services and events; and sports and recreation, leisure parks and attractions. It examines in detail changing social patterns, employment patterns and economic drivers, employment trends, skills needs, and skills supply and skills gaps. Common skills needs for the sectors are identified. Skills gaps apply across the sectors in management skills, the need for multi-skilling whilst being a specialist, work readiness of graduates, adequate information and communications technology (ICT) skills, and customer care skills and positive service attitudes in front-of-house staff. The low level of training provision across the sectors is one of the most important reasons for the skills gaps. The report demonstrates the need for more investment in skills and training across the sectors to ensure the quality of products and services provided. Recommendations for future action are provided in the areas of: education and training, particularly in management skills, information technology (IT) skills and customer care skills; the development of the whole workforce including part-time, seasonal, transient, and freelance/casual workers; and support for small and medium-sized businesses in developing staff management skills, providing appropriate training to meet changing market needs, and improving the retention of their existing staff. Show less

This report is a follow-up to an earlier study undertaken in 2000 that examined the wage returns to academic and vocational qualifications in the UK in the 1990s (indexed at TD/TNC 69.166). Data was drawn from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), and the 1998 Labour Force Survey (LFS). This report extends the earlier work in a number of directions. The data from the LFS is used to disaggregate the estimated returns to detailed qualifications with a particular focus on changes in returns over time, by public and private sector, by age cohort and by highest school qualification. The report uses information on all qualifications held by each person rather than just the highest. This allows an estimation of the returns to each qualification on the basis of the earnings of all individuals who acquire them rather than just the individuals who acquire a particular qualification and progress no further. Key findings are that: (1) the returns to key academic qualifications are very similar for men and women; (2) men and women earn positive returns on Higher National Certificate/Higher National Diploma (HNC/HND) qualifications and BTEC or SCOTVEC National Certificate/Diploma (ONC/OND) qualifications, and professional, teaching and nursing qualifications; (3) there has been virtually no change in the estimated returns to most qualifications over the time period considered; (4) degrees and A levels yield a greater return in the private sector than in the public sector for men and similar returns across sectors for women; (5) the returns to most qualifications do not vary to any significant extent over the working lives of individuals; and (6) individuals who do not obtain any qualifications at school obtain positive returns to a wide range of qualifications. Show less

Consultation on the Green Paper '14-19: extending opportunities, raising standards' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.170) revealed strong support for reform of learning opportunities available to 14-19 year olds at school, college and in the workplace. The UK compares poorly with other countries on measures of participation and achievement. The most persistent shortcoming of the system is the weakness of vocational provision. The challenge is to create a 14-19 phase that provides a clearer and more appropriate curriculum and qualifications framework that embraces strong provision for both academic and vocational options. This next steps document builds on the proposals outlined in the Green Paper and the extensive responses to the Green Paper consultation. It sets out the case for reform and outlines the strategy to introduce more flexibility into the system. The aim is to provide greater coherence for schools, colleges and employers, and a clearer understanding of how their qualifications lead to further education or work for students. Short-term reforms relate to curriculum change, the improvement of vocational options, consistency and quality of teaching and learning, an emphasis on local innovation and partnership, raising student aspirations, and support for local delivery. A new working group will be formed to examine longer term reforms in the areas of vocational provision, assessment, and the unification of the qualifications framework.

The Annexes accompanying this report are indexed at TD/TNC 74.145. A summary of the report is indexed at TD/TNC 74.146. 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. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the DfES to conduct an evaluation of the first and second cohorts of IFP students. The evaluation aims to: assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful; evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets; and assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young peoples’ skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression. This report presents a profile of the partnerships between schools and colleges that were established to deliver the IFP to Year 10 students in 2003. It outlines the characteristics of the students who were participating and the qualifications they studied. This is the second cohort of students participating in IFP and comparisons with the first cohort are provided throughout the report.

Other reports from the evaluation are indexed at TD/TNC 77.125, TD/TNC 80.651 and TD/TNC 80.678. 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 Media and Creative Industries Skills Dialogue and provides an assessment of trends in employment and skill needs and associated issues in this sector. This dialogue covers the audio-visual industry (including broadcast, film, video and interactive media), design, photo-imaging, print and graphic communication, and publishing (covering books, journals, newspapers, magazines and electronic information services). The industries in this sector share several common interests related to new technological developments but differ widely in size, scope and characteristics. Each of the industries reported the existence of hard-to-fill vacancies. Key drivers influencing future skill needs are economic forces, changing patterns of demand, and changing patterns of doing business. A number of common concerns that exist to differing extents across each of the sectors were identified. These are: (1) attracting the workforce needed; (2) influencing education provision; (3) attracting the best talent: (4) workforce development; (5) emerging skill issues; (6) managing a small firm, freelance and casualised workforce; and (7) involvement in government initiatives. These concerns are discussed in the report and initial suggestions are made as to further action. 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 summarises the current information about skills issues in the post-16 education and training sector. Its particular purpose is to draw together common themes that affect employers and employees working in further and higher education, community and adult education, and training and workforce development. The report examines drivers of change in the sector, current employment in the post-16 education and training sector, employment trends and projections, workforce demographics, workforce development and qualifications, skills issues and recruitment, and sector responses to the skills challenge. Show less

In the United Kingdom (UK), prisoners who are unemployed on their release are twice as likely to re-offend as those with stable employment. Success in the workplace is more likely if prisoners have the mix of vocational skills and personal qualities which employers are looking for. This statement outlines a plan to lift prisoners' knowledge, education and skills levels along with their self-esteem, both in prison and in the key period after their release, to enable them to succeed in the workplace on their release. The plan is to be achieved through a strategic partnership between the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Prison Service and in cooperation with all the key agencies. The statement describes the partnership's aims and objectives and concludes with an outline of the new partnership model and priorities for immediate action in the first year. Show less

This paper contains a joint Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) interpretation of the evidence on the role of skills in the labour market and their impact on productivity. It represents the evidence base where DfES and DWP priorities overlap, focusing on those with low skills and how to improve their employability for sustained employment that provides opportunities for progression. The contents are: Executive summary; The UK’s international performance on employment and productivity; The role of qualifications and skills in the labour market; General evidence on the link between skills and productivity; Improving employment and skills levels of those with no or low qualifications or skills; The future supply of, and demand for, skills; Conclusion; References. Show less