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In recent years, the UK government has invested heavily in developing a computer infrastructure for e-learning in the post-16 educational sector. Electronic learning (e-learning) is defined as learning with the assistance of information and communications technology (ICT) tools. However, only a small percentage of this e-learning expenditure has been allocated to content and skill development and, in order to realise the potential of e-learning in the post-16 sector, this area must be developed. The Post 16 E-Learning Strategy Task Force was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to consider how to improve the UK’s e-learning strategy. This report contains the Task Force’s four key recommendations that provide a strategy for enabling all learners to have the opportunity to use e-learning. The recommendations are: (1) that by 2010 all citizens should have access to ICT as a basic skill as an entitlement, including a component of e-learning; (2) that the government expand the concept of Curriculum Online for Schools into post-16 learning, i.e. College Online, to provide access to high quality and relevant learning content; (3) that the quality, relevance and accessibility of learning materials available to employers and government financial incentives to take up work-based learning be supported and developed; and (4) that funding be provided to develop a national tutor mentoring network to act as a flexible and responsive support system for those working with e-learners. Show less

The 2005 National Employers Skills Survey (NESS) was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in partnership with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It provides up-to-date information on the incidence, extent and nature of skills problems faced by employers and explores employers' activities and expenditure in relation to training. Over 74,500 employers were interviewed and comparisons are made with results from employer surveys dating back to 2001. This document is the main report from the survey. It is presented in seven sections: following the executive summary and introduction, section three explores the recruitment problems facing employers and their causes, focusing on the incidence, number, distribution and density of vacancies caused at least partly by a lack of skills, experience or qualifications among those applying; section four examines skills gaps within the workforce and their main causes; section five investigates the recruitment of 16-to-24-year-olds over the past 12 months and explores employers' perceptions of the work-readiness of these recruits and which skills, if any, are found to be lacking; section six focuses on training and workforce development, and explores the extent, nature and volume of training and workforce development activity; and the final section examines employer expenditure on training. Findings include: there has been little change since 2004 in the proportion of employers experiencing difficulty filling vacancies; the proportion of employers affected by skills gaps has once again decreased over the past 12 months, as it has every year since 2001; 21% of employers have recruited a young person into their first job direct from education in the past 12 months; 65% of employers have provided training in the previous 12 months, with the vast majority providing some off-the-job training; and total employer training expenditure over the previous 12 months was UKP 33.3 billion.

A related report containing the key findings is indexed at TD/TNC 86.444. Show less

This review aimed to systematically collect and synthesise empirical evidence related to interventions that focus on promoting employment for offenders in the UK. The review identifies gaps in knowledge and points to the priority areas for further review and future research. The key question addressed by the review is what evidence is there about the types and levels of intervention that work best to promote employment for offenders? This is separated into three sub-questions. What interventions promote employment in offender populations? What are the implementation issues for interventions aiming to promote offenders’ employment? To what degree are programs targeted according to assessment of needs? The process yielded 53 studies for in-depth review. A systematic map of the studies was produced with the majority coming from the US. Just over half of the studies specified names of programs and the majority of these were vocational programs. The review found that: good quality studies of seven intervention programs revealed that in six of these programs, offenders in the treatment group were significantly more likely to be employed at least six months after completion than those in comparison groups; generally, the programs examined by the studies provided a good range of skills relevant to the realities of the workplace; and prison work and vocational training were identified as being effective in promoting employment. Show less

This eighth edition of ‘Education and training statistics for the United Kingdom’ uses over 50 tables to provide an integrated overview of statistics on education and training in the UK. It covers: expenditure; schools; post-compulsory education and training; qualifications and destinations; population; and international comparisons. Key facts reported under ‘Post-compulsory education and training’ include: in 2001/02, 72% of 16 year olds and 58% of 17 year olds were in post-compulsory education either at school or in full-time further education; there were 47,300 new starts on Advanced Modern Apprenticeship schemes (AMAs) in England in 2002/3; the average number of learners on AMAs in 2002/3 was 108,300, representing almost two-fifths of the average year for the total number of learners on work-based learning for young people; people with high levels of qualifications were much more likely than those with low or no qualifications to have received job-related training; the economically inactive tend to receive job-related training of a longer duration than that received by employees; and a further education college or university is the most common location for off-the-job training. Show less

This study, based on Cohorts 9 and 10 of the England and Wales Youth Cohort Study (YCS), addresses a number of questions, including: (1) How many students work part-time in Years 12 and 13, and how many hours do they spend in jobs and on their studies? (2) What factors increase the probability of students taking part-time jobs? (3) What kinds of jobs do they do, and how much do they earn? and (4) What impact does part-time employment have on examination results? The extent of part-time employment amongst young people in full time education, both at age 16/17 and age 17/18, is described. Patterns of part-time employment amongst students in different types of courses, as well as the factors that increased theprobability of part-time employment from perspectives of gender, Year 11 results, ethnicity, home background and region, are looked at and a statistical model is fitted to disentangle the impact of these variables. The labour market for students aged 16/17 is analysed, providing information on occupational and industrial structure and wage levels and comparing the student labour market with that of 16/17 year olds who were not in full-time education. Further statistical models that explore the impact of part-time employment on examination results and/or vocational qualifications in Years 12 and 13 are presented. The final section highlights the main findings from the analyses and discusses their relevance to educational policy. Show less

This report forms part of the extensive evaluation of the adult basic skills Pathfinder Extension program which was launched by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in September 2001. Stage 2 of the evaluation focused on providing impact estimates and descriptive analyses of learner characteristics, their attitudes and their course experiences. It also introduces outcome measures such as employment outcomes, job changes and new course enrolment. There is a comparison of key characteristics between Pathfinder Extension participants and a comparison group of learners on traditional adult basic skills courses. Estimates of the impacts of Pathfinder activities compared to traditional provisions are given.

There are three accompanying reports on the evaluation of the Pathfinder Extension program: the report of Stage 1 of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.222; an overview of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.221; and the final report of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.224. Show less

The 1997-1999 European Social Fund (ESF) Objective 3 Programme in Great Britain introduced a new priority, Priority 4, called 'Enhancing the capacity for community development'. Its aim was to build the capacity of organisations (immediate beneficiary organisations - IBOs) to provide support to unemployed people. Between December 2000 and April 2001, a long term impact evaluation of Priority 4 was carried out to identify the benefits of capacity building for both the IBOs and the ultimate beneficiaries. The evaluation was based on the following questions: (1) Has the capacity of IBOs increased such that they are able to work better with ultimate beneficiaries? (2) Has the capacity of IBOs improved such that they are able to apply for ESF to work directly with ultimate beneficiaries? (3) Has the capacity of IBOs improved in other ways? (4) Have the above factors led to improved labour market outcomes for the ultimate beneficiaries? The report contains eight chapters. The first chapter provides the background and aims of Priority 4, the rationale for its introduction and the beneficiaries, its orientation and implementation. It also outlines an interim evaluation of Priority 4 which was carried out in 1999, the specific questions used for the current evaluation, and the 2000-2006 Objective 3 Programme. Chapter two outlines the evaluation methodology and chapter three provides an outline of the remaining sections of the report. Chapter four summarises the types of organisations that Priority 4 has assisted and the outputs that have resulted from it and chapter five discusses the outcomes and impact of Priority 4. Evidence about the sustainability of Priority 4 benefits is discussed in chapter six and chapter seven raises further issues (measurement of capacity building, global grants and co-financing) that require consideration in the new program. The final chapter sets out the findings of the study and makes recommendations to help improve the extent to which benefits can be felt in future. Case study projects and the questionnaire used in the evaluation are provided as appendices. Show less

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

Business and public service associate professionals (BPSAPs) are an extremely diverse group, incorporating a wide range of minor groups. It is expected that this group will experience strong growth up until 2010 when it will probably represent about six per cent of total United Kingdom (UK) employment. This group requires a range of different skill needs but there are cross-cutting trends across the group as a whole. This document reports on research that defines the technical and generic skills and personal attributes required by BPSAPs, highlights the extent to which these skills have changed over time and the extent to which they are being met, and identifies how these skills are best developed. The report examines the education and training mechanisms used to develop this required skill mix and, in the process, explores the suitability of the foundation degree as a potential means of equipping BPSAPs with the skills required to perform their jobs. A three-stage methodology was used, comprising a literature review, secondary data analysis of the Labour Force Survey and the 1999 Employers Skill Survey, and in-depth case study analysis. Appendix one contains the literature review and secondary data analysis. Appendix two contains the case study report on the skills dynamics of BPSAPs and examines the BPSAP occupations of insurance underwriter, legal associate professional, personnel development officer, recruitment consultant, market researcher, and estate agent. Show less

This report presents the findings from UK regional and sectoral analysis to estimate the impact of changes in the stock of educational qualifications on sector productivity. The analysis sought to determine whether the productivity effects of human capital, in particular academic and vocational qualifications, outstrip the wage effects of such qualifications. The existing data analysed covers a period between 1996 and 2001. The analysis reveals: (1) the substantial increase in the proportion of the workforce with academic qualifications has not been matched by similar growth in the stock of vocational qualifications; (2) positive productivity effects from higher level (level 4 and above) academic qualifications at both national and regional level; (3) some positive productivity effects from academic level 2 qualifications; (4) a productivity benefit for employers over and above the wage increase associated with qualifications at academic level 2 and academic level 4+; (5) no systematic and positive impact on productivity from vocational qualifications although it is acknowledged that other studies have identified individual wage returns for higher level vocational qualifications that are not replicated in this sectoral analysis; and (6) an inability for the research to measure the impact of poor basic skills on industry or regional productivity although it was able to demonstrate that those workers with the poorest basic skills are more likely to be unemployed rather than being associated with any particular industrial sector. Show less