Expert Briefings

Expert Briefing Papers

Futureskills Scotland Expert Briefing: Key Labour Market and Skills Issues in Scotland (and beyond) - Professor Ewart Keep is widely acclaimed in UK policy and academic circles for his insightful analysis of education and training issues. In this paper, Ewart draws upon his wealth of knowledge and research experience to suggest some key issues for Scottish skills policy in the next decade. He identifies the major obstacles which face those charged with policy formulation and research in the area of skills.

Professor Keep’s briefing covers a large amount of ground. It raises some key questions for Scottish researchers, policy makers and practitioners. It is a challenging, constructive contribution to the ongoing debate in Scotland from an
acknowledged expert in the field.

Futureskills Scotland Expert Briefing: How 'Smart' are Scottish Jobs? - This Expert Briefing presents the results of an analysis undertaken by the respected University of Cardiff academic, Professor Alan Felstead, on Scottish data from the 2006 Work Skills in Britain Survey.  The survey asked 2,000 Scottish workers for their views on skills and training and highlights a number of important issues, such as the polarisation of jobs in Scotland; the low-skilled nature of many part-time jobs held by women; and rates of training among Scottish workers. 

But, perhaps the most challenging finding from the analysis is the extent of qualification mismatch in the Scottish labour market, from workers’ perspectives. The Scottish education and training system has been successful in developing the skills and qualifications of the workforce. But it appears that the level of skills demanded by employers has not kept pace with this increased supply.

The recent launch of Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy highlighted the importance of economic pull - stimulating demand for skills from employers and  improving the utilisation of skills in the workplace. The results of the 2006 Skills Survey underpin the importance of this issue. The 2006 Skills Survey is a valuable addition to the evidence base. Professor Felstead’s work highlights Scottish workers’ views on the qualifications, skills and training associated with their job. It provides a valuable complement to the views of Scottish employers.

Futureskills Scotland Expert Briefing: Skills in Context - The paper, presented by Michael Davis of the Centre for Enterprise, reviews the importance of skills in terms of explaining the moderate productivity performance of the UK.  A number of crucial points are made along the way:

• productivity performance is not determined by skills level alone. Indeed, much of the UK’s productivity gap with America, France and Germany is for reasons other than skills
• skills are often a lower-order concern in company decision-making, behind product market strategy and the organisation of the production process
• a purely demand-led approach might not lead to the Government’s stated desire for a highly skilled workforce. Some employers can choose a low-skill route which is profitable for their business

So, what might we do? The paper concludes with a restatement of the importance of skills in personal, social and economic terms. It suggests that any strategy for skills needs to ensure that the supply of skills is capable of adapting and responding to demand; it also highlights the importance of creating the conditions which encourage employers to demand more highly-skilled workers.

Futureskills Scotland Expert Briefing: Public Policy, Training and Skill Formation - Challenging Some Current Myths - Expert Briefing paper, by Professor David Ashton, looking into skills-related "myths". 

David Ashton draws upon his wealth of experience and detailed knowledge to present a challenging analysis of public policy in the field of training and skills formation. Professor Ashton pinpoints a popular myth that all training is good and more training is always better in all companies. He suggests that the common belief that public policy should be based simply on encouraging more employers to train more workers more often, springs from this mythical base.

His analysis also brings into question the perceived superiority or efficiency of formalised training as opposed to informal training. He highlights that larger companies operate on a more formal basis than smaller companies. In very small companies, especially those where an owner/manager has principal responsibility and knows most/all of the staff, informal approaches to training may be both most appropriate and most effective.  The paper concludes with some thoughts for policy makers on potential ways to improve the effective delivery of skills into the workplace.