Skills strategy for Londoners: Evidence base

The Mayor is determined that London becomes a city where all residents benefit from the capital’s opportunities and success, and where London’s employers and businesses can access the skills they need to succeed and compete, nationally and internationally. To achieve this, London must have a system for post-16 adult education and skills that delivers for all Londoners and employers. This system should be the envy of cities around the world for its outcomes and ambitious standards. It must be responsive to the demands of the capital’s local labour markets, both now and in the future. The Mayor’s vision is for: ‘A City for all Londoners – making sure Londoners, employers and business get the skills they need to succeed in a fair, inclusive society, and thriving economy’., To deliver on his vision, the Mayor has produced Skills for Londoners – a skills and adult education strategy for London (The strategy) which sets out the priorities and measures to improve education and skills provision for Londoners aged 16+, with a focus on technical (vocational) skills and adult education. The Skills for Londoners’ Strategy Evidence Base (‘The evidence base’) has been prepared by GLA Economics using desk-based research. The data within the evidence base has been used to inform the three priority areas of the strategy, specifically to: (1) Empower all Londoners to access the education and skills to participate in society and progress in education and in work; (2) Meet the needs of London’s economy and employers, now and in the future; and (3) Deliver a strategic city-wide technical skills and adult education offer., This document provides material relating to the GLA’s Skills for Londoners strategy, and reflects the strategy’s themes of people, business, and the skill system. The document is structured as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction – defines the term ‘skill’, discusses measurement issues, and suggests that skills are important for the labour market and social impacts on individuals; Chapter 2: Economic context – sets out some relevant economic trends (including employment, wages, and productivity) and compares London to the rest of the UK in terms of sectors and occupations; Chapter 3: Skill demand – sets out historic and projected trends in labour demand, and shows an increase in demand for higher level skills; Chapter 4: Skill supply – sets out trends in the supply of labour in London. There has been an increase in the proportion of Londoners with degree level qualifications, and Londoners are more highly qualified than elsewhere in the UK and Europe. However, direct skill measures suggest proficiency in basic skills is, on average, lower in England than in other OECD countries, and that average proficiency in London is slightly below the England average; Chapter 5: Does supply match demand? – discusses whether skill demand and supply are in balance in London, both overall, and by sector; Chapter 6: Inequalities in skills and qualifications – sets out inequalities in skill and qualification levels in London between population groups; Chapter 7: Participation and attainment in education and skills – sets out data on participation and attainment in the education and skill system, comparing London to the rest of England, and comparing areas and groups within London; Chapter 8: Employer training – suggests that the amount of employer training in London and the UK has fallen in the past 20 years, and that employers in the UK invest less in employer training than European employers; Chapter 9: Challenges facing the skills system – discusses some challenges facing the education and training system, including funding cuts, poor information and advice for prospective learners, barriers to learning, and some issues relating to market failure.