Research results used to prompt the skills debate

Research results emerging from the Skills and Employment Survey continue to inform the skills debate. 

Early results from the research – directed by Professor Alan Felstead (pictured centre) – continue to attract media attention.  Notably this included a front page article in the Financial Times, articles inThe Guardian and the Daily Mail as well as commentary on Radio Four's Today programme and live interviews on Radio Five Live, LBC and Radio Cymru. 

The results have also informed the NHS Pay Review Body's pay recommendations and the Welsh Government's policy on skills.  More recently still, they have been used to frame public policy debates as all of the political parties begin to flesh out the contents of their election manifestos in preparation for May 2015. 

The latest evidence of this impact came when Professor Felstead was asked to address an audience of more than 150 policy-makers, civil servants and MPs on the implications of the survey results for public policy.  

The event was chaired by Cathy Newman of Channel Four News (pictured on the right), with contributions from John Gill, Editor of Times Higher Education (second from the right), Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineering (pictured second from left) and Dr Sarah Main, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering (pictured on the left). 

Professor Felstead's presentation coincided with news that the Skills and Employment Survey series which tracks the quality of work in Britain over the last quarter of a century is now available from the Data Archive for secondary analysis.

More general information is available on the Skills and Employment Survey project web site.