UNISON has released a comprehensive report on its research into public service workers’ experiences, hopes and fears around learning, training, and the future of work.

The Skills For The Future survey was undertaken by the University of Exeter’s Marchmont Observatory on behalf of UNISON. With over 38,000 responses, the survey was the biggest of its kind, beating UNISON’s own record of 27,000 responses in its 2011 Skills For Life survey.

Survey respondents were overwhelmingly keen to learn, with half stating that training had improved the way that they did their job, and over four fifths saying that they were ready to learn new skills.

Respondents fear that they are not being provided with the training they need to keep up with advances in technology and other changes in the workplace. They are also worried about the risk of redundancy, with over a third believing that it was ‘very likely’ that their position would be made redundant within the next three years, and three fifths believing that automation is putting public sector jobs at risk.

More than one in every ten survey respondents said that a lack of skills or confidence in literacy or numeracy had stopped them applying for a promotion, taking on extra responsibilities at work, or asking to attend training.

But the research also suggested that the main problem was one of under-utilisation and that most workers had skills greater than those needed for their job, but were prevented from progressing in their careers by a lack of in-work training.

Two thirds of respondents thought that their computer and digital skills needed improving, and nearly half identified a need for training in managerial or supervisory skills.

The report has been released in the same week as the Labour Party’s commitment to paid time off for employees to access education and training, and its promise to improve careers advice for adults.

Teresa Donegan, head of learning and organising services, said, ‘The most precious asset that any employer possesses is its staff, and that’s an asset that should be invested in. We often hear what industries and employers want from the workforce. What makes this research unique is the fact that this is the voice of the workers. Staff have told us what they need. Now it’s up to the government and to employers to listen.

‘UNISON is justifiably proud of the learning we offer our members, and we support thousands of people every year through free learning opportunities. But we shouldn’t be filling the gaps left by employers shirking their responsibilities.’

Roger McKenzie, assistant general secretary, said, ‘Cuts to further education and adult education have meant that too many people are barred from progression at work and in everyday life. This research shows that it’s causing real damage.’

Skills for the Future: Executive Summary

Skills for the Future: Full Report

Skills for the Future: Presentation

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises the vital role the workforce plays and has commissioned the Education and Training Professionals (ETP) survey to help build their understanding of the workforce and the issues it faces.

• The further education sector is exceptionally important in developing a skilled workforce and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential.
• In this survey, DfE wants to hear from sixth form colleges, independent training providers and adult and community learning providers.
• This work is being carried out on behalf of the DfE by IFF Research, an independent research company. IFF Research has developed the survey with support from the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA), the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and HOLEX.
• The first phase of research is running throughout summer and autumn 2019, with reporting in early 2020.

Find out more about the survey here: http://ow.ly/PNHy50w6Cgf

The Government Education Committee is looking into the benefits of adult skills and lifelong learning to the individual, society and the wider economy.

They are also exploring the level of support available to learners, and the role played by local authorities/combined authority areas in providing adult education.

They would like to hear your views and experiences of adult learning.

On average this survey takes around 3 minutes. Follow the link below to access the survey.

You can access the short survey below to find out!

Jobs have always changed

Since the beginning of time, the type of jobs we do and how we do them has changed with the world around us.

Imagine we used to harvest wheat with sickles. It took lots of people a very long time!

New technology creates new tools

But we have always used technology to create tools that help us do our jobs better and faster. These tools also free up time, so that we can spend less time working and more time living.

The invention of the combustion engine led to the creation of cars, heavy-duty vehicles and airplanes.

New tools change how we do our jobs

These new tools change the way we do our jobs on a day-to day basis. For some jobs these changes are minor but other times they are significant.

The engine makes harvesting easy compared with using a sickle. Farmers today drive a harvesting machine, which harvests more in less time. Less people are involved in harvesting, which allows them to focus on other tasks. Entirely new jobs are created such as making, selling or repairing harvesting machines.

What does this have to do with me?

Today, there is much discussion about the effect of robotics and artificial intelligence on our jobs. There is no doubt that these advanced technologies will change how we work, what we do and which jobs will be available to us. This means that our jobs will evolve, just as they always have. 

Some people will see their jobs change more than others, depending on the tasks they involve. Certain jobs might disappear completely. But new jobs, some of which we can’t even imagine yet, will be created. We might also be able to spend less time at work and more time doing other things.

Take the survey to find out the chance of your job changing because of automation. Understand what this means for you and explore your options for the future.

Click on the link below to access the survey.

https://oecd-futureofjobs.org/start

Careers England, supported by NAHT and the WorthLess? Campaign, with technical input from Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, has created a short survey for school leaders and careers professionals.

With yet more emphasis from Ofsted and others on the importance of careers advice for young people, the survey aims to see what support, if any, is being given to schools to help them provide careers advice and guidance for young people.

The following link takes you directly to the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/National_Survey_School_Leaders_and_Careers_Professionals

The ESFA has released a survey as part of continuing work to look at how they could improve the apprenticeship funding rules.

They would like to hear from employers, employer-providers and training providers.

The survey closes on 14 March 2019.

Access the survey HERE

It provides important information on training, hours and pay from current apprentices. The findings enable us to look at wage levels nationally, measure changes with previous years and monitor whether employers are adhering to the rules on fair pay. The research will help set pay policy and to make improvements in apprenticeship training.

IFF Research, an independent research organisation, will undertake the research on our behalf

The selected apprentices will receive a letter explaining the purpose of the research and who to contact if they have further questions. They are then interviewed by phone. Around 10,000 apprentices will take part in the phone interview which includes questions on: Read more

Ofsted has introduced a new questionnaire asking staff for feedback about their FE provider.

The new questionnaire, published on 6th November and available from Monday, will be used in short and full inspections, but not monitoring visits.

Questions include whether staff are proud to be working at the FE and skills provider, if they think it is well led and managed, and whether managers are considerate to their staff’s well-being and workload.

According to the inspectorate, providers will be asked to inform their staff about the online questionnaire at the point of inspection.

The Further Education and Skills Inspection Handbook has been updated to reflect the introduction of the new document. Read more

People and skills are at the heart of our economic prosperity. With a good education and the right skills, everyone has the best chance to get a job and get on in their career.

The Education and Skills survey is the CBI’s annual pulse-check on what business thinks about education and skills. It aims to find out more about the current and anticipated skills needs, what business really thinks the priorities should be in schools, apprenticeships, technical education reform, retraining – and much more.

The findings will shape the CBI’s future policy recommendations to ensure UK businesses have the skills required to flourish over the coming decades.

Take part in the 2018 Education and Skills Survey

Better understanding of what business thinks on education is more vital than ever. The next ten years the way we live, and work will rapidly change due to technological developments, globalisation, the impact of Artificial Intelligence, automation and other factors. This will bring exciting opportunities, but also present challenges for the next generation that will need to be addressed. The survey gathers the evidence needed to develop the policies and reforms that need to take place now and in the coming years. Read more

An urgent message from Education and Employers Research

We would like to invite you to share your valuable views on introducing children to the world of work and career provisions in primary.

The importance of early intervention in addressing the perceptions’ young people hold about careers and the range of possibilities ahead of them is widely recognised. Despite a range of evidence outlining the importance of engagement with careers from an early age, it is clear that more needs to be done to fully understand the role of careers at in the primary phase.

We are now working in collaboration with Teach First to understand better what works in primary.

The first phase of the research is a survey to find out what primary schools are doing to develop pupils’ understanding of the world of work and the challenges they face in doing so. We want to better define how primary schools can best plan and deliver career provision in primary school.

The findings from the survey will help define best practice by identifying what activities primary schools are currently doing and to establish where additional support and training is needed. Read more