Allan Baillie KCC Skills Employability Skill Gaps Skill
Allan Baillie KCC Skills & Employability
Skill Gaps – Skill Building • Skills Gaps • Youth unemployment • Earning and Learning • The ‘right skills’ • The role of employers
• ‘Realising Talent: Employment & Skills for the Future’. CESI for LGA. July 2014 • ‘It’s about work…excellent adult vocational teaching and learning’. Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching And Learning. Nov 2013 • ‘Precarious futures? Youth employment in an international context’ UK Commission for Employment & Skills [UKCES]. June 2014
Skills Gap • The average skill level of the UK population is equivalent to… • …level 2. 3 • ‘On average, we have to lift England’s workforce to A-level standard, rather than the projected 5 x GCSEs standard’ LGA Why?
Skill Gap (by 2022) • Low skills: 9. 2 m people, 3. 5 m jobs • High Skills: 11. 9 m people, 14. 8 m jobs • lost growth = £ 375 bn Realising Talent: Employment & Skills for the Future. CESI for LGA. July 2014
Youth & ADULT UNEMPLOYMENT • Unemployment hits young adults hardest: at the height of the recession, young people 16 -24 were nearly 4 times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the adult population. • Current Kent Figures for youth/adult unemployment: – Youth unemployment [18 -24] 3. 1% (3, 956) – Adult unemployment [18 -64] 1. 7% (15, 504) March 2015
Young adults are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the labour market
Youth Unemployment • March 2015, 3956 unemployed 18 -24. – @£ 58 pw x 52 weeks = £ 12 m (11, 931, 296) – Lost revenue (income tax) = another £ 10 -15 m • Unemployment is very costly and …wasteful
18 and Unemployed In March 2015 there were… … 700 18 year olds claiming Job Seekers Allowance = 8 per secondary school 700 x £ 54 x 52 weeks = £ 2 m (£ 1, 965, 600)
Earning & LEARNING • `There are long term and deep rooted challenges hindering young people’s movement into work` • `Experience of the workplace is fundamental` • `High levels of young people earning and learning lead to lower youth unemployment`
‘International evidence suggests a causal link between earning and learning (at 15 -19) and the chances of becoming unemployed (20 -24)’ UKCES
Benefits of Work Experience • Young people who experience work experience activity are 5 x less likely to be NEET • Work experience is increasingly important in the admissions process for Higher Education • Work experience is associated with improved motivation and attainment • Graduates with work experience get better degrees, higher wages and are less likely to be unemployed
‘Employability’ Employer surveys • • Numeracy Literacy Customer care Communication • Relevant skills/quals? …. plus • • • Team work Interpersonal skills Problem solving Flexible Willing to learn • Positive attitude
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING Commission for Adult Vocational Teaching & Learning (CAVTL) • A clear line of sight to work – a two way street with employers • Clear ‘escalators’ to higher vocational learning • Access to industry standard facilities • Dual professionals – occupational and pedagogical expertise
Adult skills ‘Achieving a step- change in qualification levels is not possible by relying on ever better qualified young people – adults, already in the workforce, will need to continue to attain higher qualifications’ Realising Talent: Employment & Skills for the Future. CESI for LGA. July 2014 Message for young people…. Never stop learning!
Futureproofing • ‘Responding to current employer demand is important but it is equally important to build the workforce skills for the future’ CAVTL
The local need • Local economies need a good match between employer demand labour supply – the right skills and the right level of skills www. gov. uk/government/statistics/labour-marketprojections-for-the-south-east-of-england (UKCES Data)
Employment sector Base 2012 (000’s) Expansion Replacement Net demand requirement 21 Science, research & engineering 305 65 (21. 3%) 99 (32. 5%) 164 (53. 8%) 42 Secretarial and related occupations 155 -59 (-38. 1%) 69 (+44. 7%) 10 (6. 6%) 53 Skilled construction & building 140 4 (3. 0%) 46 (32. 8%) 50 (35. 8% 61 Caring & personal service occupations 309 84 (+27. 2%) 141 (+45. 7%) 225 (73%) All Occupations 4564 297 (6. 5%) 1795 (39. 3%) Occupation sectors – samples from UKCES data 2092 (45. 8%)
Conclusion • Level 3 , the new benchmark, to reduce the ‘skills gap’ • Overwhelming international evidence for the benefits of ‘earning and learning’ (flexible study programme) • Relevant vocational education in partnership with employers (a ‘two way street’) • Emphasise education and training for life: ‘never stop learning’ • Use LMI to provide locally responsive education and training
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