Progression in Employment: Employer Toolkit & Case Study Collection

This employer toolkit and case study collection is published by IES with the support of J.P. Morgan under their global New Skills at Work initiative.  This page has been updated in November 2020 to include a digital version of the employer toolkit, available here.  

New research demonstrates the benefits of employers in the retail, hospitality, health and social care sectors supporting the progression of low-skilled, low-paid workers. In spite of challenges in terms of market pressures and demand fluctuations, employers that support low-skilled workers report reputational benefits, improvements in service quality and reductions in employee turnover.

The Progression in Employment project is designed to capture evidence and insights on developing and implementing upskilling pathways for low-skilled adults across six countries (Sweden, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain). The project aims to identify effective employer practice in supporting the in-work progression of low-skilled adults, and to share the learning from this practice with employers through the creation of an employer toolkit and case study collection, that can be downloaded in .pdf format from the links below. 

The case study collection presents examples of effective employer practice on progression across three sectors (retail, hospitality, health and social care) and six countries (UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain). The examples provided are from both small and large employers and represent a diversity of approaches to progression. It is hoped that the case studies will stimulate awareness amongst employers about the issue of progression for workers on low incomes.