• What works best in the skills system to support underrepresented groups into higher-paid occupations, sectors, and levels of seniority?
Background
DfE research interests for this pillar of the Opportunity Mission include enabling learners to make decisions that are informed by understanding the opportunities and support available, especially participation in further and higher education, and how continuing education affects their future opportunities. We also need to explore how our sectors can best prepare learners to take advantage of those opportunities, including in secondary education. We are especially interested in practices in further and higher education that engage less researched groups, such as those with care experience, those with SEND, experience of Alternate Provision, and children with a history of offending. However, this topic is not specific to further and higher education; for example, how different occupations and opportunities are conveyed to children at pre-school and school will influence their willingness to consider those paths in later life.
Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-areas-of-research-interest
Next steps
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Related UKRI funded projects
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Opportunity, equality and agency in England's new VET landscape: a longitudinal study of post-16 transitions
This 5-year study will investigate how England's vocational education and training (VET) system can better support the school-to-work transitions of the 50% of young people who do not go to university. Routes into furthe...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: King's College London
Why might this be relevant?
This project specifically focuses on investigating how vocational education and training (VET) can better support young people's transitions to further education, training, and employment, which aligns with the question's focus on supporting underrepresented groups into higher-paid occupations.
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Refining and reinvigorating adult education and training research through longitudinal analyses.
The proposed project aims to investigate patterns of participation in education and training among adults and their related potential benefits in the domains of (1) health, (2) work and careers, and (3) the social commun...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Glasgow
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on adult education and training, not specifically on underrepresented groups in higher-paid occupations.
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Improving support for sixth form students' post-school choice making and transitions into further study and work
This fellowship aims to contribute to research-informed policy, practice and public debate to ensure that all school sixth formers receive high quality support for their post-school destinations, whether that choice is u...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: King's College London
Why might this be relevant?
While this project focuses on improving support for sixth form students, it does not directly address underrepresented groups in higher-paid occupations. However, it does contribute to the broader discussion on post-school transitions, which is partially relevant to the question.