Projects

This UK case study analysed how effectively workforce development and integration policies help immigrants (especially those with only a high school degree or less) to progress from low-skilled work or unemployment to middle-skilled jobs.

The GLA wished to examine the ways in which English language learning provision in London can be improved to better support migrants to learn and improve their English. The work explored the ways in which immigrants access English language learning and the barriers to obtaining appropriate learning provision. Recommendations for improvements were made to the GLA based on this.

The policy intent of POEM was to improve the economic activity of its target groups: Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Somali women, by addressing their barriers to work, including cultural barriers, confidence, knowledge of labour market options and jobsearch and interview skills. In practice, a far wider range of eligible clients are on POEM: almost half are men, and while Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African clients are the largest groups on the programme, it is actually open to people of any ethnicity, and has been operating as such. It is being delivered by 10 private sector providers in six cities in England – the main challenge for them has been finding eligible clients through outreach and referrals from suitable community partners. In a mainly qualitative evaluation of this voluntary programme for the Department of Work and Pensions, IES is undertaking case study work with all providers, interviewing clients, and analysing the management information returned by all providers to DWP.

OECD asked IES to write the UK chapter for its project on health workforce migration. The chapter focuses on qualified nurses and doctors, and looks at a variety of measures, both current and over the last 20 years, in connection with the available workforce and flows to and from overseas. UK statistics were to be compared with those from other OECD countries.

Working with ERAWATCH and for the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), IES provided an analysis of researcher mobility across the European Union (EU). This project built on previous work using national Labour Force Surveys (LFS) to build up a picture of patterns of mobility.