Projects

IES was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to provide the most up-to-date research evidence and current thinking on alternative modes of study in Higher Education, particularly compressed degrees, that enable a more flexible institutional delivery system. The project combined a review of the current research and policy literature with qualitative case studies of Higher Education Institutions.

IES, in partnership with the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) at the University of Derby, was commissioned by the Skills Funding Agency to evaluate the outcome-based model for funding the National Careers Service. The review assessed the sustainability and impact of the funding model and examined the method for setting payment rates.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has commissioned a study that will contribute to the evidence base used in its current review to determine the case for including nurses on the Shortage Occupation List. The study will also provide a better picture of the overall nursing recruitment issues faced by the NHS and, as such, help direct future recruitment policy.

IES co-ordinated a small study examining the issue of working conditions for drivers in the EU road haulage sector, in the context of the German government seeking to apply its national minimum wage to all drivers transitting through Germany. IES co-ordinated contributions from Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and France.

This project comprised a literature review on the effectiveness of interventions to close the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps plus the design and facilitation of three workshops with employers and stakeholders to identify key challenges and ‘what works’ in reducing pay gaps. This research was published as Tackling gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps: a progress review

IES will complete a short country profile for the UK and a very short briefing for Greece as part of a study led by the Istituto per la ricerca sociale (IRS) examining the effect of employment and social indicators in the 2014 and 2015 European Semester exercise, in terms of improving social monitoring. The study will evaluate whether: these indicators are suitable to adequately capture and reflect social impacts the introduction of these indicators has led to restoring the balance between social and economic governance the interplay between fiscal/structural reforms and the recommendations regarding the employment and social situation advocated in the CSRs is balanced.

IES, in partnership with Cranfield University, was commissioned by a government department to conduct a systematic review of industry best practice on workplace mindfulness-based applications. The review considered the potential of mindfulness to support a wide range of HR, Leadership and Organisational Change strategies. We also explored outcomes (intended and unintended) and metrics.

IES worked with IZA and IDEA Consult to produce a study on precarious work in the EU for the Employment Committee of the European Parliament. The study included a literature review of the extent and trends relating to different forms of precarious work, data analysis and a more in-depth analysis of precarious work in eight EU Member States.

IES, together with IRS in Bologna, Italy, was commissioned to undertake a study on the effectiveness of policy measures aimed at supporting and encouraging the participation of women in the labour market in six EU Member States: Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. The research took the form of a labour review and interview with key stakeholders and experts in each country.

IES, along with IFF Research and COMPAS, was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to carry out research designed to improve understanding of employer behaviour and practices when recruiting British and migrant workers with the right to work in Great Britain. The research took the form of a literature review, a survey of employers and recruiters, and 35 qualitative interviews with employers, migrant workers and UK workers. The study resulted in a report for EHRC: Recruitment in Britain: Examining employers’ practices and attitudes to employing UK-born and foreign-born workers