The question addressed in this paper is why expanding Higher Education (HE) has become the default policy position in England. One answer concerns the reluctance by employers to train. The paper adopts an historical perspective on the policy reviews into this issue which have displayed a remarkable policy amnesia, employers have not been engaged. Consequently, successive governments have fallen back on expanding the HE sector as the main way to boost skill levels.
An earlier version of this paper was commissioned in 2014 by one of the UK governments as a 'think piece' to reflect on the importance of skills utilisation for policy development, and what more might be done to pilot new ways of addressing this issue. This version has been prepared for wider circulation. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive literature review on the topic. Those seeking such a review are directed to the report prepared by CFE for the Scottish Government (2008) and a report prepared for the OECD by Buchanan and colleagues (2010). The four national governments within the UK all face broadly similar economic and social problems, though the depth and scale of these problems varies within and between each nation. Among these policy challenges are a range of issues that relate to productivity, investment and the shape and 'balance' of the economy, as well as with the quantity and quality of employment, the structure of the labour market and the nature and management of the relationship between employer and employee (Keep, 2013; Keep and Mayhew, 2014). As will be suggested below, many of these policy problems are inter-related.
Upskilling the adult workforce is a major policy across the OECD, and many governments are grappling with the issue of how to design interventions that can support workforce development for less skilled and/or qualified adult workers. This paper examines and compares the English government's Train to Gain (T2G) programme and the Welsh Assembly Government's Workforce Development Programme (WDP). The paper suggests that these two schemes offer radically different models for adult workforce development. T2G is designed to provide a vehivle whereby a near-universal adult entitlement (to a first level 2 qualification) can be delivered to the entire workforce over time, and has also provided a model for a new funding system for post-19 learning in England. By contrast, the WDP is tied to specific business development/improvement interventions, is only available on a selective basis, and is not solely concerned with funding the achievement of qualifications. The paper offers some thoughts on the relative effectiveness of these two models.
This research paper provides an overview of government policy on young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) across the four UK nations. This paper argues that policy in England on this topic is less well developed and coherent than in the other UK nations, and that the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will serve to amplify the negative impacts of a set of underlying changes that have been taking place in the youth labour market and in employers' recruitment and selection practices. In addition, the paper notes that in much of the activity directed at reducing those with NEET status has been funded through the EU's European Social Fund and that uncertainty now clouds the continuance of these schemes, and that in England government has increasingly relied on the charities to help fill gaps in outreach and provision.
Traditionally, skills policies in the UK have focused primarily upon boosting the supply of skills as a route to improved economic prosperity as well as social inclusion/mobility. However, some academic commentators have argued that this approach is insufficient and that more attention needs to be given to addressing problems of weak employer demand for, and utilisation of, skills. Recently, some of these ideas have begun to be taken up by sections of the policy community. Issues around skills demand and utilisation figured prominently in Scotland's 2007 skills strategy, and are now beginning to inform new forms of policy experimentation. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has also argued that 'the future employment and skills system will need to invest as much effort on raising employer ambition, on stimulating demand, as it does on enhancing skills supply'. In light of these developments, the paper examines some of the challenges confronting skills policy in England under the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government, and considers the prospects for a more integrative and holistic approach to tackling the 'skills problem'. It argues that the political and ideological space for such an approach is limited in England with skills policy likely to focus mainly upon skills supply, albeit with vastly diminished state funding/subsidy.
Questions whether the restructuring of the European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) & its effects on social policy can provide guidance in managing the social consequences of restructuring other European Union (EU) sectors. The ECSC's use of sectoral social aid & dialogue to institute change is explored in relation to the current trend of regionally based interventions & the balance between short-term reactive & long-term proactive policies. Lessons are argued to be unique to the level of intervention possible in the 1970s & the centrally coordinated policies specific to the coal & steel industry. Looking forward, social repercussions of economic restructuring on a Europe-wide basis are further complicated by the growing complexity of EU interactions. 33 References. P. Schlachte
This comparative study examines apprenticeship - a globally recognized, work-based model of learning that links on-the-job training with institution-based or off-the-job training - in eight countries: Australia, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, Germany, India, and South Africa. The report uses documentary analysis as its central methodological approach, citing, summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing and critically reflecting on existing literature and data produced by international organizations, government agencies, universities, and research institutions. The study combines the analysis at the macro, meso, and micro levels in order to establish incentives and disincentives for learners and employers to engage with apprenticeships and to re-imagine the policy and purpose of apprenticeships. Furthermore, the report includes a focus on the demographics of apprentices, the challenges faced by apprenticeship systems, and the limitations posed by the unavailability of comparable data on apprenticeship.
'Skills is the most important lever within our control to create wealth and to reduce social deprivation' (Leitch, 2006:2). The above statement taken from the Treasury-sponsored Leitch Review of Skills reflects the central importance that the UK government attaches to skills as the key to both economic performance and social justice. Skills have not only become the main focus of policy intervention but are increasingly being conceived, at least by policy makers, as an alternative to, or replacement for, more traditional industrial relations concerns. This issues paper explores the reasons behind this policy shift and the challenges it presents for the development of a 'joined up' skills strategy.
The dominant assumptions about the UK higher education (HE) system are simple: graduates earn more than non-graduates, graduates have skills that make them more productive and HE is a key driver of economic growth and international competitiveness. These assumptions logically lead to a simple policy prescription: encourage young people to go to university. The Coalition government has scrapped the target of a 50 per cent participation rate and shifted a larger share of the cost onto students, but remains reliant on HE as a mechanism for raising incomes, improving social mobility and boosting productivity. This Issues Paper sets out what we consider to be the important questions for HE. For all of these questions, there is an answer which fits neatly with the story set out above. However, for all of these answers there is either a long history of academic research which directly challenges them or a notable absence of research. This paper aims to stimulate more open-minded debate.
