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This report contains the findings from a study into the views of employers and partner organisations about their future requirements from the National Employer Service (NES). The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) provides this service to large, multi-sited employers. The report covers three broad areas: skills planning and development in large employers; the involvement of large employers in LSC-funded programmes; and the relationship between the NES and partner organisations. The report is the first stage in achieving the aim expressed in the Skills White Paper [indexed at TD/IRD 88.162] that the NES should develop strategic relationships with major national employers, help them to access publicly funded training and increase their involvement with the skills agenda.

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This document contains the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) priorities and key actions for 2006-07. The six priorities are: (1) ensure that all 14-19 year olds have access to high quality, relevant learning opportunities; (2) make learning truly demand-led so that it better meets the needs of employers, young people and adults; (3) transform the learning and skills sector through agenda for change; (4) strengthen the role of the LSC in economic development so that we provide the skills needed to help all individuals into jobs and lifelong employability; (5) improve the skills of the workers who are delivering public services; and (6) strengthen the capacity of the LSC to lead change nationally, regionally and locally. Show less

'Skills in England 2005', produced by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), summarises the key developments in England's skill base over the last 12 months by pulling together the latest evidence on the supply of, and demand for, skills. It is presented in three volumes. This volume contains the key findings. It highlights the main issues facing LSC and its partners and identifies the key priorities for skills. The key challenges identified include: the accelerating pace of change in technology, globalisation and the changing pattern of demand for skills; the obsolescence of many existing skills; increasing demand for higher level skills resulting from structural and occupational change, and technological and demographic drivers; and ongoing demand for low-skilled and semiskilled occupations in sectors such as manufacturing and construction.

The three volumes are indexed from TD/TNC 87.447 to TD/TNC 87.449. Show less

Skills in England 2007 provides an up-to-date assessment of the skills arena. It highlights the key skills issues facing the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its partners, based on a comprehensive review of developments and of the evidence that has emerged over the past year. The report highlights that collectively, the LSC and its partners must continue to find ways to increase the demand for skills from employers and ensure that everyone, whether an employer or an individual, is able to access the learning opportunities that are suitable for them.

Four volumes have been produced: 1. Key Messages: outlining key findings and policy implications; 2. Research Report: providing in-depth analysis; 3. Sectoral Perspectives: providing insights across industry; 4. Regional/Local Perspectives: summarising the geographical situation.

Volume 1: Key Messages sets out the main findings and broad policy implications stemming from the research undertaken and reviewed for Skills in England 2007. It highlights the key issues facing the LSC and its partners, with a view to helping identify the key priorities for skills.

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Volumes 2-4 are indexed from TD/TNC 91.283 to TD/TNC 91.285. Show less

'Skills in England 2005', produced by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), summarises the key developments in England's skill base over the last 12 months by pulling together the latest evidence on the supply of, and demand for, skills. It is presented in three volumes. This volume is the main research report. Key messages highlighted in this report include: skills development has taken place in a weakening economy, although the rate of slowdown has been modest and has not adversely affected the demand for labour or skills; the skills base of the country is increasingly recognised as not only a means to increase productivity and competitiveness, but an important means of achieving social cohesion through improving the employability of those at the margins of the labour market; there is a continuing demand for higher-level skills; the supply side is undergoing a period of reform with the introduction of the National Employer Training Programme, which will provide subsidised training to employees via their employers; the supply side also faces the challenge of an ageing workforce which potentially limits supply; on the other hand, inward migration has recently boosted supply, although this brings with it new problems; evidence on the current mismatch between demand and supply shows that skill shortage vacancies have been steady at around three per cent of employment over recent years, but where they occur, they can be damaging to organisational performance; the reported level of skill shortages and skill gaps reported by employers remain a source of concern; and management skills have been highlighted as one area where there is a particular need for improvement.

The three volumes are indexed from TD/TNC 87.447 to TD/TNC 87.449. Show less

In June 2003, the UK government will publish a national Skills Strategy and Delivery Plan. The strategy will establish a broad agenda for raising skill levels amongst young people and adults in close cooperation with employers to ensure that their skill needs are satisfied. The strategy will describe the roles and responsibilities of employers, individuals and government in skills development, including the government’s role in providing institutional, qualifications and quality frameworks. The aim of the strategy is to create a more demand-led learning system and it will include: a comprehensive approach to promoting participation in learning through better advice and rendering learning more attractive and accessible to learners of all ages; the government’s approach to engaging employers across all areas of skills development; adult workforce development, especially in relation to the delivery plan for the new Level 2 target for adults, i.e. to reduce by at least 40% the number of adults in the workforce without a Level 2 or equivalent qualification by 2010; and the outcomes of the review of the funding of adult learning. This technical paper sets out some of the potential options and related funding issues for colleges and providers which are being considered as part of the current review of funding adult learning and development of the skills strategy. It also reflects the work of the Learning and Skills Council Funding Group.

This technical document is published in conjunction with two reports, ‘Developing a national skills strategy and delivery plan: progress report’ (indexed at TD/TNC 73.358) and ‘Developing a national skills strategy and delivery plan: underlying evidence’ (indexed at TD/TNC 73.359). Show less

The 2003 National Employers Skills Survey (NESS) [the main report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 79.599] revealed severe skills shortages and gaps at all levels of employment in the UK, with employers regarding one in 10 employees as being incompetent. This guide offers practical advice on how employers can tackle the critical issues highlighted by the NESS survey. Its key message is that businesses need to acknowledge the skills shortages or gaps and adopt a systematic approach to upskilling their workforce. The contents are: Mind the gap; How did we get there?; Aligning skills to business strategy; Carrying out a skills audit; Developing a skills strategy; Upskilling your existing workforce; Attracting new talent; Trouble at the top?; Measuring progress; Giving as well as receiving; Where do we go from here? Show less

This review of existing research evidence pulls together information from four Learning and Skills Council reports on issues surrounding migrant workers and the labour market. The review also includes some references to work on the subject by other organisations. The paper covers the key issues of labour market participation, skills and skills provision, but it also covers contextual information such as stocks and flows, drivers of migration and the provision of education and training.

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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 Lifelong Learning UK, the Lifelong Learning Sector Skills Council. This sector is concerned with the delivery and support of training and education to those undertaking qualifications post-16 years of age. This includes etablishments which provide technical and vocational secondary education, higher education, library and archive activities, and adult and other education. NESS data shows that over 28,000 of these establishments exist across England, and in total 1,013 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. Across all occupations in this sector the top three skills required at higher levels were identified as communication skills, customer handling skills and teamworking skills. The report also considers the extent of recruitment difficulties and skill gaps, and finds that: nine per cent of establishments in the lifelong learning sector face hard-to-fill vacancies; 29 per cent of establishments suffer from internal skill gaps, with staff being regarded as less than fully proficient; vacancies and skill gaps are most common amongst professional, associate professional and administrative staff; the main causes of skill gaps are primarily perceived to be due to staff having a lack of experience; 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; and the most common skills lacking in applicants are technical and professional skills, customer handling, and communication skills. Barriers to developing and maintaining a proficient team of staff in the lifelong learning 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 Learning and Skills Council (LSC) commissioned Ipsos MORI and Cambridge Policy Consultants (CPC) to conduct research into how the apprenticeship programme in England can be expanded across the public sector. ‘World-class apprenticeships: unlocking talent, building skills for all’ [indexed at TD/TNC 92.310] published in 2008, highlighted the low levels of penetration among certain public sector employers. The Learning and Skills Task Group has been tasked by the cross-government Public Services Forum to recommend action to increase the level of skills in public services. This research is designed to feed into the group’s thinking on ways in which barriers can be overcome and to provide information that will support the LSC in removing some of the barriers that public sector organisations face in offering apprenticeships.

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