This joint OECD-ILO report provides a comparative analysis of case studies focusing on improving skills use in the workplace across eight countries. The examples provide insights into the practical ways in which employers interact with government services and policies at the local level. They highlight the need to build policy coherence across employment, skills, economic development and innovation policies, and underline the importance of ensuring that skills utilisation is built into policy development thinking and implementation. Skills utilisation concerns the extent to which skills are effectively applied in the workplace to maximise workplace and individual performance. It involves a mix of policies including work organisation, job design, technology adaptation, innovation, employee-employer relations, human resource development practices and business-product market strategies. It is often at the local level that the interface of these factors can best be addressed.

A strong skill base is an important element of a productive and sustainable economy. The Department for Education and Skills spends around £6.7 billion on skills training in England, with an additional £23.7 billion being spent by employers. Despite this expenditure there are still skill shortages and the UK has low productivity compared to rival economies. This report follows two others on the subject: 'Skills for life: improving adult literacy and numeracy' (ISBN 0102931631); and 'Securing strategic leadership in the learning and skills sector in England' (ISBN 010293689). It is based on direct research with employers on how they want publicly funded training to be improved and whether it represents value for money. It is divided into four sections that look at the need for: clear advice on the best training for staff; training that meets business needs; incentives for employers to do more training; and ways that employers can influences skills training.

Adult educators working in workplace literacy & workforce preparation programs need to be aware of the many efforts to define standards for the knowledge, skills, & abilities needed for successful performance in the workplace. This report describes the various efforts related to skill standards & other policy initiatives for those who may not be directly involved in these ongoing efforts. Includes skill descriptions as the framework for workplace literacy skill standards. Contents: background to the occupational skill standards efforts; occupational skill standards; framework for skill standards; discussion & conclusions.

Summaries a portion of the research conducted under a two-year joint project of the American Society for Training and Development and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Examines how, within a decent work perspective, countries can develop their skills base so as to increase both the quantity and the productivity of labour employed in the economy.

Managing for IT skills is never easy at the firm level. Technologies change constantly and rapidly. The supply and demand of IT skills fluctuate. Firms do not have commonly recognized frameworks to manage IT skills of their workforce. A consistent taxonomy of IT skills is underdeveloped and used infrequently in industry. Managing IT Skills Portoflios: Planning, Acquisition and Performance Evaluation provides the basic vocabulary and managerial framework for managing strategically the IT workforce at the firm level. It also informs mangers what tools and services are available to assess the skill levels of their IT workforce and job candidates. Finally, it gives different perspectives on managing IT skills - how individuals, HR managers, educators, and governments approach IT skills management.

This OECD report on Northern Ireland, United Kingdom identifies a number of innovative programmes that aim to better engage employers in the design and delivery of training. It also looks at the role of local district councils in working closer with employers...