Projects

The Higher Education Funding Council for England, on behalf of the four higher education funding councils, commissioned IES to support the development process of a new UK-wide survey of postgraduate taught (PGT) students. IES in partnership with NatCen Social Research contributed via a literature review and interviews with postgraduate taught students and expert stakeholders in order to guide the development of the survey.

The project comprises a rapid evidence assessment of careers education and provision in colleges in England, focussing on delivery to young people aged 14-19. This is supported by around five expert interviews with academics and practitioners to scope the landscape. In addition up to ten good practice case studies will be conducted (five face to face and five by phone) to critically assess careers provision, to understand the impacts on young people and support evidence based practice. These case studies will be identified from the expert interviews, desk based research and recommendations from the C&EC Enterprise Coordinators.

In 2014/15 the Department for Education (DfE) implemented significant reforms to the pay framework for teachers, with the aim of introducing a more flexible performance- based structure. In May 2018 the DfE commissioned IES to collect views from teachers, headteachers and governors on the current pay framework and how the framework can best support a clear career pathway for classroom teachers and support recruitment and retention within the profession. IES will conduct a mixed methods review of these issues which will include: a YouGov survey of teachers and headteachers, telephone interviews with teachers and headteachers, and webinars with governors.

In this scoping study for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), IES conducted case study visits to higher education institutions to understand wellbeing challenges among PhD researchers, demands on relevant services and extent of support provision.

IES will explore the feasibility of an economic evaluation at the whole programme level and collect data on local outcomes from multiple stakeholder perspectives, mainly through telephone interviews.

Progression in Employment is a two-year research project led by IES and supported by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation through its global New Skills at Work initiative. The project focuses on employer practice enabling low-skilled workers to achieve career progression. The research will be supported by case studies from key employers in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, whilst the analysis itself will focus on opportunities in the retail, social care and hospitality sectors. This will include an analysis of labour market trends and national policies in each country. IES will be working in partnership with Entreprise et Personnel and Frederic Turlan in France; Wilke, Maack and Partners in Germany; Istituto per Ricerca Sociale in Italy; Oxford Research in Sweden; and IKEI in Spain. We hope this research will provide valuable insights for employers and policymakers, whilst raising awareness of latent talent pools to recruiters and employers in sectors currently experiencing acute staffing needs. Read our press release announcing the project, here. Subscribe to IES email updates to keep up to date with the project.

IES is working with Cranfield University to deliver research to the Forces in Mind Trust. The focus of the research is the transition that female service leavers make from the armed forces to civilian employment, specifically to understand why their economic activity and employment outcomes are lower when compared to male service leavers. The work will involve an evidence review, stakeholder interviews, an online survey and interviews with female service leavers, as well as interviews with potential employers.

IES research will establish the need and high-level design requirements for a director-level leadership development programme across the health and care landscape. This includes identifying potential barriers to participation and reflecting on effective marketing and channels for recruitment. The Institute’s approach includes a market scoping exercise, an online survey and interviews with directors and HR/CEO gatekeepers.

There is considerable interest among employers in the steps they can take to improve workforce health and wellbeing. In part, they are interested in being good employers and enhancing employee engagement, but they also want to reduce sickness absence, promote physical and psychological health and to improve productivity. This study will look at wellbeing practices and their impact on productivity in the UK manufacturing sector. The work involves a literature review, an online survey of over 4,000 manufacturing employers in the UK and a number of case studies to explore good practice. The study will seek to isolate which health and wellbeing practices are most strongly correlated with high levels of productivity and whether lessons can be drawn about which interventions offer best value for money.

IES supported Natcen and the Pensions Policy Institute in undertaking a feasibility study for a survey of planning and preparing for later life for the Department for Work and Pensions. IES contributed to scoping the employment issues to be covered through desk review and expert workshops.