White Paper

As the UK's economy grows, in the context of global change, the needs of employers, employees and learners will also change. For the UK to prosper economically, compete internationally, and reduce economic disparities, the UK's skills base will need to be responsive and meet these changing needs. More flexible learning approaches have the potential to help address current and future skills shortages and/or mismatches. In December 2017, Universities UK commenced work on a project to examine how the UK's productivity could be improved through greater flexible learning opportunities in higher education. The project would identify the main issues, covering perspectives from learners, providers and employers, and develop policy recommendations. This briefing sets out the main findings of the project and the policy recommendations.

This issue paper explains the underlying mechanisms of the impact of climate change through altered thermal conditions in the workplace, shows examples of the current and likely future impacts and provides indications of policy response options to these challenges.

The future of the liberal arts: A global conversation is the latest in Universities Canada’s ongoing work as a convenor of dialogues on topics of importance to Canadians. Organized in partnership with the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the two-day workshop brought together leaders from 40 Canadian universities and external stakeholders in Montreal in March 2016 to discuss the future of the liberal arts for the benefit of Canadians. Presenters included higher education leaders from the United States, Asia and across Canada. The sharing of ideas and promising practices touched on topics from employer demand to re-envisioning the academy.

This policy brief examines whether robots will reduce the familiar benefits of industrialization as a development strategy. It argues that robots are not yet suitable for a range of labour-intensive industries, leaving the door open for developing countries to enter industrialization processes along traditional lines. At the same time, it suggests that developing countries should embrace the digital revolution. The digital revolution, particularly the rapid march of robot technology, is making people more anxious. This anxiety is rooted in the perceived threat of robots to upturn the world of work because they are getting exponentially smarter and more autonomous. Most of the current debate on robots focuses on developed countries, but robotization clearly also concerns developing countries. On some accounts, the risk of job displacement through robotization is particularly high in developing countries. From a development perspective, the big question is whether robots will reduce the familiar benefits of industrialization as a development strategy. This will be the case if robot-based automation makes industrialization more difficult or causes it to yield substantially less manufacturing employment than in the past. Should such expectations turn into reality, the commitment to inclusive prosperity called for in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be technologically subverted before it gets off the ground

This paper provides a sectoral perspective on the future of work regarding both the challenges and opportunities facing the health services sector. In doing so, the paper examines the implications of demographic changes, globalization, technological advances and environmental and geopolitical developments on the future of health services. It explores the impact of these megatrends on decent work, focusing specifically on employment and working conditions, education and training, and social dialogue. The paper then presents suggestions for the future of work that we want in the health sector, in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The UK’s future prospects – our route out of recession, our chances of a successful recovery, and sustainable economic progress thereafter – depend on the industries and jobs we are able to create, and on having the skilled workforce we need to do those jobs well. As we seek to recover from recession, we need more people in work and more people in productive work. We need more businesses, and more successful businesses, offering more and better jobs. And we need more and better skilled people to get us there and keep us there. There is little that is more important than equipping ourselves with the skills we need, for the jobs we need, for the successful businesses of tomorrow. The recession also provides an unparalleled opportunity to reform our employment and skills systems – to ensure they are equipped to deliver the calibre of services that will make us world class.

Skills for Jobs: Today and Tomorrow is the first National Strategic Skills Audit for England produced by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The Audit provides key intelligence on England’s existing and future skills needs in both current and emerging industries. The information contained in this and future versions of the Audit (which will be produced on an annual basis) will help the UK Commission to supply the analysis required to develop the nation’s skills base so that it meets the immediate and longer-term needs of a fast changing economy.

In order to reshape its economy around high value, knowledge-intensive activities within an increasingly competitive global economy, the UK must meet the growing demand for people equipped with higher level, economically valuable skills. In particular, ensuring that businesses have access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills is critically important since these skills play a central role in developing innovative products and services that can be effectively positioned in world markets. As part of its response to the higher-level skills challenge, the Government is committed to a programme of higher apprenticeships that combine on the job training with study for a higher-level qualification at level 4 or above. They are seen to be a mechanism by which employers can more effectively access the specific skills that they need, by growing their own talent and developing a loyal and motivated workforce. At the same time, employers are working together through Industrial Partnerships and other mechanisms to develop further skills solutions to address their high-level needs. In support of this the Government has asked the UK Commission for Employment and Skills to conduct a review of STEM skills to advise on the STEM occupations that face the greatest labour market need, in order to inform decisions around the future development of this kind of provision in the STEM sphere. As a provider of high-quality business and labour market intelligence designed to inform choice, policy and practice, the UK Commission is well placed to undertake this task. This report is primarily intended to inform the thinking of employers as they consider the strategic skills solutions needed by their respective sectors. It is also a resource for policy makers as they seek to support and enable employer-led strategies, particularly in areas of market failure. It is very much a top-down analysis, based on common and consistent sources of labour market data and is intended to provide a framework for more detailed research and analysis from the bottom-up by Industrial Partnerships and other bodies.

Using the most up-to-date occupational research, this guide has been produced to showcase 40 top jobs in 10 key occupations that our analysis of the UK job market suggests will be crucial over the next decade. The aim is to inspire young people about the wide range of jobs that are out there, inspiration which they can use when mapping a career pathway. From the 40 jobs listed, we have picked 12 examples of some of the most exciting and rewarding jobs that we believe will present young people with a good mix of opportunity, reward, and long-term potential – all key aspects people should be considering when making their career decisions. We highlight what each of these dozen occupations entails, from the skills and attitude required to longer-term growth predictions and, crucially, how people can start to engage with this sector, and make it a career they can aspire to.