We author and publish a range of resources to keep you up to date with the latest developments in employment, education and skills, labour market and human resource policy and practice. All our pdf publications are free to access.
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JobsPlus is a voluntary community-led, hyperlocal employment support programme designed to help people in social housing communities find work. This partnership paper presents the findings from the JobsPlus pilot evaluation which relate to working with local partners, summarising the wide-spread benefits of this approach.
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These top tips have been developed as part of the Labour Market Evidence programme, a partnership with Learning and Work institute. They share practical lessons on designing, delivering and evaluating local work and health programmes. They are designed for local and regional policy, delivery, data and evaluation teams, and senior decision makers.
In April 2010, the UK Commission took over strategic ownership of the Investors in People (IIP) Standard. This evidence review draws on a wide range of research from the previous ten years to develop a deeper understanding of how IIP is perceived and to provide evidence of the impact of the Standard on the businesses that are accredited. The review provided the UK Commission with a consistent narrative on IIP to date.
This research explored the experiences of ethnic minority customers using Jobcentre Plus services to identify any specific issues and how these might usefully be addressed. The research involved 83 in-depth, face-to-face interviews with Jobcentre Plus customers in four locations across England. Customers were from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, black Caribbean, black African, ‘Mixed’ and ‘Other’ ethnic backgrounds. White British customers were also included to explore whether the experiences reported were typical of the entire population sampled or unique to specific ethnic groups.
This report presents findings from qualitative research on the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and Work-Focused Health-Related Assessment (WFHRA). The research was carried out in spring/summer 2010 and included Employment and Support Allowance customers, Jobcentre Plus and Pathways to Work Provider Personal Advisers, and Atos Healthcare staff working on these assessments.
The pace of recovery following the 2008–9 economic crisis picked up somewhat throughout 2010 with the EU forecast to register 1.7% growth in 2010. Uncertainty however persisted on a number of fronts. Fears of a double dip recession in the US economy were reinforced by weak employment and growth data. Global growth appeared increasingly to depend on demand from developing countries, notably the BRIC bloc.
Creative Career Stories is the second report of the Creative Graduates Creative Futures longitudinal study of the early careers of more than 3,500 creative graduates, undertaken between 2008 and 2010. It draws on findings of qualitative research, providing further insights into creative careers some five to seven years after graduation. It explores through narratives the connections graduates make between their courses and careers, in their own words.
This report examines the issue of work-related stress in the 27 EU Member States and Norway. Studies capturing data on work-related stress in individual countries differ in terms of their scope, methodology and coverage.
In the face of recession, falling demand and the consequent slowing of production, short-time working and temporary layoff schemes have been extended (or introduced) in many Member States. These schemes, often with the aid of public funds, reduce working time, while protecting workers’ incomes and company solvency; frequently, the time spent not working is used for training instead. This report examines the practice of reduced working time across Europe, and looks in detail at how it is implemented in ten Member States, with a view to determining the contribution that such schemes can make in implementing the common principles of flexicurity, especially in light of the broad-based consensus they enjoy among the social partners.
Performance management, it appears, isn’t working.
This report presents case studies of organisations who have improved the efficiency and effectiveness of their back office functions by developing shared service operations. Eight case studies are presented in this report. These are Anglia Support Services, Berkshire Shared Services, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire partnership, Cheshire HR Shared Service, Knowsley Health and Wellbeing, LaSCA, NOMS and Southwest One.
This report presents the results of the 2010 surveys of the Veterinary and Veterinary Nursing professions, carried out on behalf of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Where possible and appropriate, results are compared with those of previous surveys. The aim of these surveys is to provide RCVS, and other interested parties, with an evidence-based view of the veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse professions, and the changes taking place within them.
