Engaging Employers And Developing Skills At The Local Level In Northern Ireland United Kingdom

This OECD report on Northern Ireland, United Kingdom identifies a number of innovative programmes that aim to better engage employers in the design and delivery of training. It also looks at the role of local district councils in working closer with employers...

This OECD report on Northern Ireland, United Kingdom identifies a number of innovative programmes that aim to better engage employers in the design and delivery of training. It also looks at the role of local district councils in working closer with employers...

This report, “OECD Skills Strategy Northern Ireland (United Kingdom): Assessment and Recommendations”, identifies opportunities and makes recommendations to reduce skills imbalances, create a culture of lifelong learning, transform workplaces to make better use of skills, and strengthen the governance of skills policies in Northern Ireland.

This book explores how Northern Ireland is implementing labour market and skills policy and putting measures in place at the local level to stimulate quality employment, inclusion and growth.

This NAO report examines the subject of sustainable employment, and the options available to support people in their efforts to maintain their work and advance in their roles. It has been prepared against a background of considerable focus and activity on skills and on employment, in particular the Leitch review (ISBN 97801108404860), as well as the Department for Work and Pensions, "In Work, Better Off" (Cm.7130, ISBN 9780101713023). Sustainable employment is at the centre of the Department's work to help low-skilled people into work and out of poverty. A number of recommendations are set out, including: that more and better information is needed on how long jobs are sustained and to identify the people most at risk of early exit; sustainable employment can be improved by a programme of targets that take account of both job duration and individuals' aggregate employment; that an ongoing development of economically valuable skills is a key element of sustainable employment along with better integration between employment programmes and programmes for raising skills; that the "Train to Gain" programme needs to achieve a good balance between focusing on "hard to reach" employers and engaging employers in raising skills

This document sets out a plan for England in developing world class employment skills and is a companion document to the Green Paper, Cm.7130, In Work, Better Off (ISBN 9780101713023) also published today, and follows on from the Leitch Review, published December 2006 (ISBN 9780118404860) along with an Executive Summary (ISBN 9780118404792). This publication aims to explain how the Government will provide the right supporting framework to act as a catalyst for a skills revolution. More than a third of adults in the UK don't have the equivalent of a basic school leaving certificate; 6.8 million people have serious problems with numbers and 5 million people are not functionally literate. As part of this development, the Government has set out new rights that learners and employers will have, under what are called Skills Accounts and the Skills Pledge. The Skills Accounts will be part of the new adults careers service done through Jobcentre Plus, which aims to give every adult easy access to skills and careers advice. The Skills Pledge enables employers to demonstrate their commitment to improving skills in their workplace, with the Government supporting employers through Train to Gain brokerage. Also current funding entitlement for adults to free training in basic literacy and numeracy skills, will be strengthened. Produced by the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the document sets out the Government's policy direction to build better skills.

A strong skill base is an important element of a productive and sustainable economy. The Department for Education and Skills spends around £6.7 billion on skills training in England, with an additional £23.7 billion being spent by employers. Despite this expenditure there are still skill shortages and the UK has low productivity compared to rival economies. This report follows two others on the subject: 'Skills for life: improving adult literacy and numeracy' (ISBN 0102931631); and 'Securing strategic leadership in the learning and skills sector in England' (ISBN 010293689). It is based on direct research with employers on how they want publicly funded training to be improved and whether it represents value for money. It is divided into four sections that look at the need for: clear advice on the best training for staff; training that meets business needs; incentives for employers to do more training; and ways that employers can influences skills training.

This joint OECD-ILO publication provides guidance on how local and regional governments can foster business-education partnerships in apprenticeship programmes and other types of work-based learning, drawing on case studies across nine countries. There has been increasing interest in apprenticeships which combine on the job training with classroom-based study, providing a smooth transition from school to work. There are benefits to both individuals and employers from participating in apprenticeships, including increased productivity and job quality. Successful implementation is contingent on having a high level of employer engagement at the local level, notably in the design, development and delivery of programmes.