Wales is about to undergo a massive stock-taking exercise on the skills and knowledge that its people possess today and what they will need for the future.
Over the next three months an army of researchers, taking part in the Future Skills Wales 2003 project, will walk up farm tracks and leafy driveways, as well as visiting suburban terraces, semis and high rise flats, to interview no fewer than 6,000 working-age people in their homes.
In addition, 6,000 employers will be asked about the current skills of their workforces and the skills necessary for their businesses to survive and grow in years to come.
Surveyors will be focusing in particular on what are called "generic skills," the skills that can be used in a range of different occupations. These include such skills as communications, team-working, problem solving, information technology, management and leadership, entrepreneurship, customer care as well as the ability to organise one’s own learning and to take initiative.
In addition they will be creating a detailed map of the qualifications people hold.
The 2003 survey, which is part-funded by the European Union, is led by a broad-based partnership in Wales, including the Welsh Assembly Government, The National Council - ELWa (Education Learning Wales), the WDA, the CBI, Careers Wales, Jobcentre Plus (formerly the Employment Service) and the Welsh Local Government Association, representing local councils.
It will gather even more in-depth information than the first Future Skills Wales survey five years ago. That landmark study has had a major impact on policymakers in Wales, influencing the kind of training and skills advice now given to people right across the country.
Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning Jane Davidson welcomed the new study and urged everyone approached by researchers to give their full and active co-operation: She said: “This is a vitally important exercise because it will give us the most accurate answer yet to the question of how skilful we are as a nation and what we need to do to improve and compete.
“This data gives ELWa, the WDA and other key organisations in the Welsh economy the tools to plan ahead with confidence, knowing that they are responding to the real needs of people and businesses,” she added.
People and firms to be interviewed by top researchers MORI will be selected according to a carefully devised and tested formula, ensuring they represent a true picture of Wales.
Researchers will probe people’s current level of skill and qualifications, the nature of their jobs and what level of generic skills they expect to need in the future. Ensuring that people in Wales attain the right level in these skills is regarded as vital to the future success of the economy and the health of Welsh society.
Building on the last survey, researchers this time will probe more deeply into the level of each of these skills individuals have, or think they need, in order to do the jobs they want to do.
The avalanche of data gathered over the next three months will enable analysts to match people’s current skills and their learning aspirations against the skills that employers say they will need to do the jobs of the future.
This will highlight any mis-matches between the two so that advisors and providers of learning can give people the support to gain the skills that will meet their career aspirations.
They will also ask what level of qualification people hold, ranging from NVQs to PhDs. This will give a strong indicator of how well educated and trained the Welsh population and workforce really is.
The survey will also examine unemployment and the low skills factor, probing the reasons why people are out of work and their perceived barriers to gaining greater skills.
Jo McCallum, head of the Future Skills Wales Unit within ELWa, which is managing the huge project said: “Preparing for this study has been a major exercise taking many months but we are now ready to go. Based on past experience we expect a high degree of co-operation from the public. People generally find it very interesting to stop and consider issues like this which have a big impact on their lives."
She explained that the first results would become known within the next few months, although it would be approximately 18 months before all of the analysis has been carried out.
Note to Editors - Future Skills Wales 2003
About 60 people across the country have been involved in organising the Future Skills Wales 2003 project and nearly 100 researchers will take part in the nationwide survey over the next three months.
The steering group behind the project includes business organisations, trade unions, education bodies and the voluntary sector as well as the main public sector agencies who are funding the exercise.
The household survey is based on a random sample using a formula designed to ensure it accurately represents the population of Wales. At least 200 people will be interviewed in each of Wales’ 22 unitary authority areas, with a much higher figure in the more heavily populated areas.
The number of businesses will vary according to the economic make up of each area, although the sample will provide an accurate cross-section of Welsh industry as a whole.
In order to analyse people’s responses under a wide variety of headings, respondents will be asked about the nature of their current job, the level of skill they need to do the work, how long they have held the job and the type and size of company for which they work.
They will be quizzed about the qualifications they have achieved, selecting from a list of 26 different types, and they will be asked for an assessment of the level they have reached in the 18 “Generic Skills,” - skills which can be used across a variety of different occupations.
Each will also explain what kind of job they would like and say what skill levels they think they would need to do their desired job. They will also be invited to give details of any training they have had and what they outcome of that training was. In addition they will be asked to give an opinion on the quality of their manager’s skills.
Employers will be interviewed about the types of staff they employ and details of any difficulties they have had finding people with the right skills or of jobs they have found hard to fill. They will be asked to give their opinion on the key reasons why they are experiencing skill gaps or skill shortages and to assess the impact of these problems on their businesses.
Each employer will also be invited to outline their attitude to investing in learning and training and to give a prediction of the levels of Generic Skills they will need in the future.
Further information from Eoghan Mortell 029 2048 8778 or 07977 555116.
