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