The Future Skills Wales Programme of Research will provide a foundation for decision making on education and training by strategic bodies, employers, careers services and Jobcentre Plus, learning providers, Sector Skills Councils and individuals.
The Future Skills Wales 2005 Sector Skills Survey is a survey of 6,719 employers, chosen randomly across Wales and contacted between March and May 2005. The survey covered employers across all business activities in Wales.
The main aim of FSW 2005 is to provide reliable information on the skill deficiencies which employers in Wales experience; information which can be used to inform skills development policy and planning. Whereas the two previous FSW employer surveys dealt solely with generic skills, the 2005 survey also asked about practical and technical skills.
A survey of 6,000 employers, chosen randomly across Wales and contacted in 2003, collected information on the drivers of future skill needs, details of the current workforce, recruitment practices and difficulties, skills shortages and skills gaps and the current and future importance of skills and learning to business in Wales. A household survey run at the same time collected information from 6,000 individuals chosen randomly across Wales, on employment status and attitudes to employment, skills use and the current and future importance of skills and training/learning.
Job Outlooks are research-based summaries of labour market information, which have been produced by the Future Skills Wales Unit. They are aimed at helping individuals make informed decisions about jobs in Wales and the learning choices linked to pursuing these jobs. They are written in simple, accessible language, designed to be an unmediated advice and guidance resource and will be updated on a regular basis.
The Future Skills Wales Partnership has also co-funded a Pay Survey, and the results of this were fed into Job Outlooks (see above). The survey findings provide data regarding the average pay rates for different occupations and industries in Wales.
The survey results will be used to feed into occupational and generic skills forecasts. These forecasts will be produced as part of a separate exercise. The information provided will facilitate policy planning at regional and local levels, contribute to the planning of courses for the future and help individual decision-making.
The Future Skills Wales (FSW) 1998 Generic Skills Survey is a survey of 6,000 individuals and 6,000 employers across Wales and contacted in 1998.
As its name suggests, the survey focused on generic rather than job specific skills. This is an important measure because it relates to skills needed across most, or in some cases all, occupations. Welsh employers and individuals need sufficient access to these skills in order to develop in organisations and careers respectively in the years ahead.
Additional analysis includes the Wales Annual Pay Survey 2002 which provides data regarding the average pay rates for different occupations in Wales; Regional Economic Forecasting (Investigation) 2001, research which involved reviewing the use of regional economic forecasts and forecasting models in Wales; and Welsh Language Skills in 7 Sectors Report 2005 which surveyed the requirements of 2,000 employers in Wales.
Please contact the FSW Team for more information.
