Research

Open to Ideas (published December 2011) is a collection of essays which brings together contributions from people who have something to say about the big issues facing the education sector. The essays question common assumptions, identify lessons learned from recent policy experiments and innovations, and suggest new approaches to policy and practice.
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Technicians and progression (published October 2011 by the Skills Commission) is the product of a six month inquiry into higher-level skills. The report concludes that if the UK economy is to become more production and export-led it must become more technician led.
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A moment of inflection: the future of Further Education (published July 2011) reports on a seminar exploring the Government's reforms to the FE sector. The report concludes that the sector is at a moment of opportunity and welcomes the enhanced freedoms and institutional autonomy which have been granted to FE colleges.
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Skills and welfare reform (published June 2011) reports on a seminar exploring the skills dimensions of the Government’s programme of welfare reforms. The seminar sought to identify what more could be done to ensure training and employment-support services provided to job-seekers are high-quality and value for money.
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Professionalising the Workforce: Licence to Practise (published May 2011) is the report of a high-level seminar held by the National Skills Forum to consider the government's approach to occupational licensing.
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Teacher Training in Vocational Education (published January 2011) is the report of a high-level seminar held by the National Skills Forum in December 2010 to reconsider the recommendations of the Skills Commission's March 2010 report in the light of recent developments.
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Doing Things Differently: Step Changes in Skills & Inclusion focuses on the impact of skills policy on three disproportionately excluded groups: offenders and ex-offenders; people with disabilities; and black and minority ethnic learners. (Published Feb 2010 by the National Skills Forum)
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Teacher Training in Vocational Education analyses initial teacher training and continuing professional development for teachers of vocational education in schools, further education and higher education. It recommends that a unified teacher training system, and a ‘universal QTS’ should be developed for all teachers across 14-19 education.
(Published Feb 2010 by the Skills Commission)


Progression through Apprenticeships investigates how the Government can ensure a greater proportion of apprentices progress through to higher levels of learning. (Published March 2009 by the Skills Commission)
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Closing the Gender Skills Gap contains 27 key recommendations aimed at tackling the barriers facing many women who want to train, get back to work and improve their skills. (Published Feb 2009 by the National Skills Forum)
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Inspiration and Aspiration reports on the changes needed to ensure that Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) services are relevant and useful to people in the future.
(Published March 2008 by the Skills Commission)
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Mind the Gap: Funding Adults in Further & Higher Education explores the gap in funding for adults studying in FE and HE, both in terms of funding for institutions and student support.
(Published Jan 2008 by the National Skills Forum)
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Adult Training and Incentives to Train was published by the National Skills Forum in 2007.
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Skills: A Parliamentary Perspective was published by the National Skills Forum in 2005.
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