Exploring the value of an O*NET resource for the UK

Report from a workshop held in London, June 2015

This report produced by IES on behalf of the Gatsby Foundation examines the potential of an occupational database such as the United States of America's O*NET resource to help research and address UK occupational and skill challenges. The report presents the findings from a workshop on this topic whilst also reviewing the background to the O*NET resource.

The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is a comprehensive system for collecting and disseminating information on occupational and worker requirements.

This report highlights the difficulty involved in developing a UK O*NET from scratch, which would require huge investment in resources. There is, however, potential to exploit the United States' O*NET database for UK purposes. Indeed, delegates at the workshop were unanimous in their agreement that mapping O*NET across to UK occupations was a priority given the richness of the data available and the very low likelihood of a similar system being developed for the UK from scratch.