Futureskills Scotland Outputs

&

Research on Work-Readiness

Patrick Watt – EDAS Event 2008

Structure

• Aims and Resources (National Unit with 4 staff)

• Web Tools – Better Access to Data and Analysis

• Core Reports – Scotland in Context

• What local and sectoral outputs are produced by the national unit?

• Research Series/Expert Briefings

• Communication – e-newsletter and events

• Focus on recent work-readiness research

www.futureskillsscotland.org.uk

Key Indicators

• Labour market data

• Always up-to-date

• Compare your area

with others/Scotland

• Free to access and

download reports and

data .xls and .pdf

• Standard reports in 15

seconds flat

• Custom query – pick

what data you want

Research Online

• 5,000 reports and

increasing

• Sourced from

around the world

• Intelligent search

• Free to access and

download reports

• Sign-up to see new

additions

• 10,000+ searches

per annum

Core Reports

• International Comparisons

• Scotland’s Labour Market

• What Employers Think

• Labour Market of the

Future

The Sectoral/Local Dimension

Local dimension

reports direct from Key Indicators

Sectoral dimension

reports for SSCs/SSBs (around 25 in total)

Small businesses

Voluntary sector

National Unit

The Research Series….

• Academic research

– High quality

– Policy relevant

– Stakeholders involved in focus

• Publish

– Full technical papers

– Summary documents

• There is a wider research base

– Available on Research Online

Expert Briefings….

• Acknowledged Expert

• Challenging and Constructive

• Recent Topics

– How Smart are Scottish Jobs?

– Uses and Abuses of Forecasting

– Key Labour Market and Skills Issues in Scotland (and beyond)

– Skills in Context

– Public Policy, Training and Skills Formation – Challenging some Current Myths

Employer Perception of New Recruits

Scotland 2006

61%75% 81%

-34%-21%

-13%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

School leavers FE College leavers HE graduates

Well prepared Poorly prepared

Employer Perception of New Recruits

England 2005

60%69%

81%

-31%-24%

-12%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

16 year old school leavers 17-18 year old school/college

leavers

University or HE leavers

Well prepared Poorly prepared

Digging Deeper…School Leavers

• Previous detailed case studies –

focused on school leavers

• What are employers looking for?

• What impacts does a lack of work-

readiness have?

• What solutions do employers

suggest?

Digging Deeper…FE and HE recruits

• Case study research with 30 employers

– Had recruited someone from FE and/or HE

• Qualitative approach complements survey data by providing

richer and deeper insights

• … but we need a balanced approach to assessing findings

• The case studies are not a basis for making sweeping

statements about ‘all graduates’ or ‘all colleges’

Most employers want the right

person for the job

HE Recruits

• Most employers understood the nature of HE provision

• Are usually recruited onto specialist training schemes or positions where a degree is required

• Some employers had difficulty recruiting the number of graduates they wished, no difficulties with quality

FE Recruits

• Employer understanding of

college provision was less

developed than for HE

• FE recruits are employed in

jobs where the skills they

acquired in college would

be used

• Employers recruiting from

FE had little or no difficulties

in relation to quantity or

quality of FE recruits

Employer expectations

HE Recruits

• Most case study employers

had higher expectations of

graduate recruits

• Formal training provided,

including specific graduate

trainee programmes

• ..progress at faster pace,

need less support, innovate

and take on more

responsibility

FE Recruits

• Expectations of college

recruits was high

• ..feature of case study

companies?

• Training provided is more

ad hoc, related to specific

aspects of the job

Most FE and HE recruits are considered well-

prepared..

• What does ‘well-prepared’ mean to employers?

– Good technical/job-related skills

– Good communication skills

– Strong work ethic

• Work-preparedness affects

– The strength of the contribution that the recruit can make

– The time taken from recruitment to making this positive

contribution

Futureskills Scotland Outputs

&

Research on Work-Readiness

Patrick Watt – EDAS Event 2008