What role should government play in encouraging upskilling or reskilling for those in the labour market to make skills supply more responsive to local economic needs? What barriers do working individuals face when retraining?

Background

This publication sets out areas where DfE is interested in more research and new evidence2. Given the broad policy agenda of the department it is not practical to provide an exhaustive list of research questions of interest. Instead this is a targeted list of areas which are both key departmental priorities and where we feel the research community is currently well placed to add to our evidence base. In terms of approaches to answer the questions, we are interested in both primary qualitative and quantitative research, secondary data analysis, and literature reviews/synthesis of existing evidence. For all questions we are interested in international perspectives and what has worked, or not, in other countries. For all our questions we are interested in how results differ for relevant sub-groups such as Free School Meal pupils, Pupil Premium pupils, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) pupils, Black and Minority Ethnic pupils, and gender.

Next steps

Get in touch with ARI.Reply@education.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Df E Areas of research interest

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Skills2Capabilities

    The Skills2Capability project is about understanding how skill systems across Europe can reduce the level of skills mismatch in their labour markets. It is recognised that future labour markets will be more mobile with m...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project is relevant as it studies how skill systems can respond to changing labour market demands, but it does not directly address the role of government or barriers faced by working individuals in retraining.

  • Skills at work: an analysis of the interaction between training and occupations in the labour market

    My research explores policy-relevant topics in labour economics, with a methodological emphasis on applied econometrics. More specifically, my main research agenda focuses on studying the specificity of human capital wit...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Institute for Fiscal Studies

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on the interaction between training and occupations in the labor market, which is directly related to upskilling and reskilling for local economic needs.

  • Occupational changes and skill mismatch following Covid-19: implications for graduates in the UK

    The overall objective of this study is to analyze how the Covid-19 crisis is affecting graduates' labor market outcomes, particularly in relation to their chances of finding employment in occupations that match their qua...

    Funded by: COVID

    Lead research organisation: University of Kent

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project analyzes the skill mismatch and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on graduates' labor market outcomes, which is directly related to upskilling and reskilling for local economic needs.

  • Ethos SkillsPlanner

    Matching the skills output of educational establishments with the needs of industry, particularly in a rapidly changing economy, is problematic. The inability to integrate the various bespoke datasets has meant the holis...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ETHOS VO LIMITED

  • Global Strategy for Skills, Migration, and Development

    In light of EU challenges relating to an aging workforce and the energy transition, the EU faces a shortage of relevant skills. GS4S seeks to better understand global skills shortages in selected sectors (Digital, Care a...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE ODI

  • Skills and Employment Survey 2023: Continuity and Change

    SES2023 will be the eighth in a series of surveys of workers stretching back over 35 years. The OECD has stated that 'there is a strong policy need for better measures of job quality' to improve workers' well-being, incr...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

    Why might this be relevant?

    Partially relevant as it focuses on job quality and not specifically on upskilling or reskilling.

  • Developing talent through apprenticeships

    Investing in apprenticeships is an excellent way for the UK economy to recover from the effects of COVID-19\. Apprentices each generate an average **£34,000 of economic benefit each year** in the UK and Government ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: WORKPLUS APPRENTICESHIPS LTD

  • Productivity, Wages and the Labour Market

    Since the 2008 financial crisis, the UK has witnessed weak economic growth and stagnant productivity. While employment remained high, many jobs offer little security or opportunities for training and progression. Self-em...

    Funded by: UKRI

    Lead research organisation: Institute for Fiscal Studies

  • The 1990's: sectoral rebalancing, mobility and adaptation - the employment, self-employment and training policy lessons for the current UK recession

    The recent recession, beginning in 2007/8, has taken a different course from previous ones, with a relatively moderate increase in unemployment initially but large cuts in public sector employment planned over the coming...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Westminster

  • NUS HOLDINGS LIMITED - NUS Employability Skills system - Proof of Market

    For school leavers, students, and graduates, knowing what skills they have is vitally important when it comes to securing, staying in and changing employment. Every year employers organisations carry out inter/national s...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: NUS HOLDINGS LIMITED

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