Work Skills, Training and Job Control in Britain - Skills Development ...

Work Skills, Training and Job Control in Britain:
First Findings from the Skills and Employment Survey 2012
Date: Wednesday 24 April 2013, 1.00pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Department of Business, Innovation and Skills Conference Centre, 1 Victoria
Street, London SW1H 0ET
Dear Colleague
You are warmly invited to the launch of the first findings of the Skills and Employment Survey 2012. The
Skills and Employment Survey 2012 (SES2012) is a national study of people aged 20-65 who are in paid
work. The survey focuses upon the work that people do, and on how working life has changed over time.
During the course of last year, 3,200 working adults took part in 60 minute face-to-face interviews in
which they provided detailed information on the skills, training and quality of their work. The survey
builds on similar research stretching as far back as 1986. The 2012 results will therefore provide a
unique picture of change over the last quarter a century, including the impact of the economic downturn
which started in 2008.
The high quality findings from this research are regularly used to inform government policy on many aspects
of working life. Previous surveys have been used extensively by:
• UK government agencies such as the UK Commission for Employment and Skills
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• The devolved UK administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
At the launch, the authors – Alan Felstead, Duncan Gallie, Francis Green and Hande Inanc – will present
headline findings of the survey, outline the policy implications, and invite the audience to discuss what
they mean for the organizations and agencies they represent. Each theme will be covered in a short first
findings report. Hard copies will be made available at the end of the launch event and in electronic form
on the project website (www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/ses2012).
Three themes will be covered:
• Work Skills: The levels of public investment in education and training make it essential that
effective use is made of the skills produced. The survey will provide new evidence on how
successful government efforts to encourage greater skills use by employers have been and
whether jobs are becoming more skilled.
• Training: Good quality and abundant training opportunities are essential for increasing the skills
of the workforce. The survey will track what has been happening in Britain’s workplaces to the
volume but also the quality of training provision since the economic downturn began.
• Job Control: The organisation of work can do much to increase the opportunity for workers to
use their skills by allowing them a greater say in how they carry out their jobs and how the
organisation is run. The survey will assess how common these innovative work practices have
now become.
The launch event will be preceded by a buffet lunch served from 1.00pm. Presentations will begin at
1.30pm with an introduction from one of the sponsors (the Economic and Social Research Council)
followed by 20 minute theme-focussed presentations by members of the research team. To end the
event, a representative from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (the other sponsor of the
survey) will lead the audience into discussion.
The event is free to attend but places are limited and attendance will be by prior registration only. If you
would like to attend, please e-mail ses2012@vistaevents.co.uk by Monday 25 March 2013.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to any relevant colleagues that may be interested in attending and
we will invite them subject to space. If you require any further information, please contact Louise Deegan at
the SES2012 Conference Desk on Tel: 020 8542 8223.

Best wishes
LOUISE DEEGAN
On behalf of the SES2012 Research Team