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.
This project was designed to supply information about the decisions made by young people, both about careers in general, and about pursuing apprenticeships in particular. In addition, employer practices were examined in order to assess whether any aspects of their recruitment strategies act as barriers or whether any unconscious bias exists within the recruitment process.
This research was designed to supply detailed insight into under-representation in apprenticeships by gender and ethnicity, to capture information about the decisions made by young people, and to examine employer practices in case recruitment strategies or unconscious bias could act as barriers.
This evaluation of the impact of learning below Level 2 in Further Education in England was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The overarching aim of the evaluation was to determine the impact that Below Level 2 FE learning has had on learners’ lives, in terms of: their employment status and earnings; prospects at work; their search for a job; benefit dependency; and learning progression.
This report jointly researched by IES, Ecorys and IRS for the European Commission assesses the effectiveness of traineeship and apprenticeship schemes.
This study was commissioned by the Low Pay Commission in order to support the preparation of its 2013 report and aimed to estimate the impact of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage Apprentice Rate (NMWAR) on wage levels of apprentices' pay using individual level data. Our objective was to understand whether the NMWAR had an impact on pay levels and what conclusions could be drawn from this to guide the further development of the rate.
In early 2011 Skills for Health published The role of Assistant Practitioners in the NHS: factors affecting evolution and development of the role. This Working Paper is a follow-up to that earlier publication. The paper reviews the situation, examines the types of education and training being offered to individuals prior to taking on these roles and the progression pathways available and considers the extent to which the issues identified in the earlier report have been addressed and/or resolved.
OFQUAL launched its Reliability Programme in May 2008 to investigate the reliability and validity of results in national tests, public examinations and other qualifications in England. It was set up to help develop OFQUAL's regulatory policy on reliability and indicate where to improve the assessment systems in use. This project investigated the reliability of three high-stakes City & Guilds qualifications that allowed qualified electricians to certify their professional knowledge.
Tthe National Apprenticeship Service and the Skills Funding Agency commissioned a good practice evaluation of the Diversity in Apprenticeship pilots. This research was conducted in two stages in autumn 2011 and spring 2012. This report synthesises the emerging evidence about effective and sustainable practices.
This study on green skills and environmental awareness in vocational education and training identifies challenges, priorities and policy recommendations for taking advantage of the transition towards a green economy by facilitating labour-market responses to emerging skill needs. In particular, the study investigates the links between skill needs in the labour market and the responses of learning providers.
This study is intended to provide an overview of the supply of apprenticeship-type schemes in the EU Member States. For this purpose, the study discusses the effectiveness of these schemes in raising employability and facilitating labour market transitions of apprentices in the EU. The study also provides a number of recommendations for improving the functioning and performance of this type of VET schemes.
