Publications

While the economy was booming, so was a huge industry based around helping employers to promote health and well-being at work. The business climate has clearly changed. In tough times, will employers feel this is one issue too many to worry about? This paper explores employers' attitudes to the new fit note and their top priorities in the health and well-being area.

IES research indicates the biggest growth area for coaching programmes in large organisations has been investment in internal coaching schemes, whereby managers and sometimes HR specialists are specially trained and supervised to operate as internal coaches. This paper summarises what we know about coaching outcomes and suggests possible ways in which businesses can ensure that their internal coaching delivers all the benefits they anticipate.

This paper concentrates on adults and their participation in learning activities from formal work-based qualifications to informal community-based activities. This paper helped inform the first phase of the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post 2010 (Marmot Review).

In February 2008 Skills for Health, in partnership with NHS West Midlands, commissioned a national evaluation of five Advanced Practitioner roles introduced under the New Practitioner Programme. The research involved a review to identify appropriate measures to use in the evaluation; a survey of sites at which Advanced Practitioners were employed and, for comparison, a similar survey of sites without these roles; and case studies of implementation sites.

The Learning Agreements Pilots (LAP) were launched in April 2006 in eight areas of England to run for two years. LAP was an initiative targeted at young people aged 16 to 17 who were working but not engaged in any accredited training, ie in jobs without training (JWT). The objectives of the evaluation were to test the effectiveness of the LAP approach for re-engagement; monitor and understand how LAP were managed and implemented and to highlight good practice, and understand what worked (or not) within the pilots - to understand how young people responded to the initiatives, agreements and brokerage and to understand for whom, and in what circumstances the theories behind the programme had worked.

The Learning Agreements Pilots (LAP) were launched in April 2006 in eight areas of England to run for two years. LAP was an initiative targeted at young people aged 16 to 17 who were working but not engaged in any accredited training, ie in jobs without training (JWT). The objectives of the evaluation were to test the effectiveness of the LAP approach for re-engagement; monitor and understand how LAP were managed and implemented and to highlight good practice, and understand what worked (or not) within the pilots - to understand how young people responded to the initiatives, agreements and brokerage and to understand for whom, and in what circumstances the theories behind the programme had worked.

This report offers a contemporary look at Organisational Development (OD) practice from multiple perspectives. It considers the legacy of classical OD and the transition to a post-modern field of practice. Through practitioner and senior executive interviews, the research examines provider and customer perspectives and the implications for OD career development. There is also a very personal perspective with insights into the authors’ own careers.

This is a qualitative study of a small sample of employers to explore in detail their perspectives on apprenticeships. The report gathers views on issues such as: reasons for participation, current pay practices, the impact of the National Minimum Wage exemptions on employing apprentices, and likely impacts of various changes to the exemptions.

Train to Gain was designed as a national service for businesses that helped to identify and source training that would improve their business performance and the skills of their workforce. It aimed to encourage employers to invest in the development of the skills and qualifications of their employees. This report documents the findings from the fourth wave of the learner evaluation of Train to Gain. The evaluation took place over two years, from 2007 to 2009.

This report brings clarity to the debate. Based on a systematic review of the literature on employee engagement and synthesising current thinking and evidence.