Preferences for Informal Learning

Informal learning is workers' favourite method of gaining new skills, a NIACE survey has discovered.

Overall, 82% of the 2,000 respondents found learning by doing the job quite or very helpful. This was followed by being shown how to do things by others (62%), and watching and listening to others (56%). Just over half - 54% - felt that taking a course paid for by the employer or the worker was helpful, followed closely by reflecting on your own performance (53%).

However, markedly fewer of the least skilled, a key target for government training programmes, found courses helpful. Reading books and manuals (39%), using trial and error (38%) and using the internet (29%) were the least favourite methods.

A second key area of enquiry explored where the main responsibility for the training and development of workers lay - with the worker, their employer, or shared between the two. Just over one in five workers (21%) said that their employer was mainly responsible for their learning at work, whilst more than one in three (36%) accepted that it was mainly their responsibility, with the balance of 39% reporting that it was a shared responsibility.

NIACE believe that results of the Practice Makes Perfect survey call into question the focus of government policy on skills.

Alan Tuckett, director of NIACE said: “The survey raises important questions about the balance of our workforce skills policies. Firstly, there is powerful evidence in the survey that the British preference for less formal ways of learning remains deeply ingrained, and that government should recognise this, by encouraging a culture of learning and reflective practice in workplaces, alongside its drive to secure an increasingly qualified workforce. This finding is reinforced by other data in the survey that suggests that workers feel more benefit from all kinds of learning when working in places where thinking about how to do the job well is encouraged and shared between workers.”

He added: “Second, the findings about the balance of responsibility for training and development can be read in two ways. On the one hand, government can interpret the increasing recognition by workers that they need to take the main responsibility for their own development as evidence that its policy focus on securing individual commitment to learning is working well. On the other hand, the figures equally suggest that many workers have less faith in employer-led training and skills policies than Government currently has.

“Whichever is right, the survey suggests that the forthcoming Government action plan to implement the proposals made in the Leitch review of skills should give priority to trusting and supporting workers to identify their own development needs.”

The Changing Face of Work Skills

The past 20 years has seen a fall in the number of jobs needing no qualifications for entry and a rise in those requiring computer skills.

But according to research published by the Economic and Social Research Council on skills, knowledge and organisational performance, the pace of change has slowed during the past five years.

The report, Skills At Work, 1986 to 2006, written by Professor Alan Felstead (Cardiff University), Professor Duncan Gallie and Dr Ying Zhou (Oxford University) and Professor Francis Green (Kent University), gives the first findings from the 2006 Skills Survey, a nationally representative survey of 4,800 working individuals in Britain aged 20-65, and similar surveys carried out over the last two decades.

The surveys collected a wealth of information about the skills used at work, and about workers’ views on training and work, and about their pay and well-being.

Findings include: since 1986, there has been a fall in the proportion of jobs requiring no qualifications for entry, from 38% in 1986 to 28% in 2006.

There has also been a fall since 1986 in the proportion of jobs requiring less than one month to learn to do well, from 27% in 1986 to 19% in 2006. However, both these indicators of low-skill jobs have remained unchanged over the last five years.

Computing skills continue to become increasingly important in workplaces. In 2006 computers were essential to nearly half of all jobs compared with less than a third of jobs in 1997

But although computers are essential for a greater proportion of women’s jobs than men’s jobs (50% compared with 45%), only 21% of women’s jobs require the use of computers at complex or advanced levels compared with 35% of men’s jobs. Among women’s part-time work, the proportion of jobs using computers in complex or advanced ways is very much less (15%).

‘Influence skills’ – the abilities to persuade people, write long reports, make speeches, and to teach people – are also becoming more important and pay a premium over and above the rewards to education and training.

Comparing otherwise similar jobs for which influence skills are, on average, ‘essential’ with jobs where the skills are ‘very important’, the difference in hourly pay amounts to an estimated 7% for women and 8% for men.

There has been a convergence between the skills of men’s and women’s jobs. The proportion of jobs requiring degrees for entry rose between 1986 and 2006 from 14% to 21% among men, but from 6% to 18% among women.

In most skill domains part-time jobs have been narrowing the skills gap with full-time jobs.

Compared with otherwise similar jobs that do not use computers at all, those which use them in a ‘complex’ manner – for example, using statistical software packages – pay an estimated 18% premium for women and 12% for men.

The workplace itself is becoming an ever more important driver for learning. The proportions strongly agreeing to the statement ‘my job requires that I keep learning new things’ has consistently moved upwards during the 1992-2006 period – rising from 26% in 1992 to 30% in 2001 and then to 35% in 2006.

The proportions strongly agreeing to the statement ‘my job requires that I help my colleagues to learn new things’ rose from 27% in 2001 to 32% in 2006.

However, the rise in skills among employees over the last two decades has not been accompanied by a corresponding rise in the control they can exercise over their jobs.

Between 1992 and 2001 there was a marked decline in employee task discretion for both men and women, but since 2001 employee task discretion has remained stable. For example, the proportions reporting a great deal of influence over how to do tasks at work fell from 57% in 1992 to 43% in 2001, where it remained in 2006.

from Training Zone

What motivates you at work?

Most employees not motivated by money
Less than a third of the British workforce say they are motivated by financial reward, according to a recent research by recruitment specialists Brook Street.

Just 28% of those surveyed said they were motivated by financial reward when in the workplace. 16% said they are motivated by a challenge and a massive 37% are motivated by job satisfaction.

Erika Bannerman, Brook Street Sales and Marketing Director believes that the research demonstrates that motivating people at work is about much more than a good salary. She said, "People need to feel satisfied in their job and having a challenge has also shown to be a key motivator. With so many people motivated by job satisfaction it suggests that employers should look at attracting employees by other methods than just financial rewards."

12% of people stated their key motivation at work is getting praise from their boss. Interestingly only 7% of people are motivated by having responsibility.

Erika continued, "We are in an applicant driven market, where applicants are in demand. Employees could improve their recruitment and retention by offering individuals development, training and opportunities for career progression. Regular appraisals can also help to motivate with clear achievable objectives being set and career progression plans outlined. Communication is also key, employers need to acknowledge the hard work that their employees do and identify if they are satisfied within their role."

IT skills - new competency framework

New Guide to IT Skills

A new competency model by e-skills UK is aiming to provide a new, sector-wide approach to IT professional capabilities.

The sector skills council for IT and telecoms says the new model allocates the competencies IT professionals have into subject-based ‘disciplines' and levels. It also includes transferable skills, such as business and personal skills, which apply to all disciplines.

Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said: "The IT Professional Competency model will enable employers to understand clearly what someone should be able to do and the standard of performance they can expect - supporting recruitment, performance management and staff development, among other things.

"Individual IT professionals will be able to use the model to better clarify development needs, career paths and aspirations. Moving forward, the model will also inform the content of qualifications, education and training courses."

The Cabinet Office's Katie Davis, director of the Government IT Profession, said: "There are nearly 50,000 IT professionals working across central government and the public sector in a wide variety of roles. They need and want a government-wide programme that sets high standards of performance and career development. The IT Professional Competency Model will help us deliver this. A common language for skills and experience is efficient, practical and of use to us all."

Jeremy Beale, head of eBusiness group at the CBI, said: "e-skills UK is to be commended for developing the IT Professional Competency Model. Effective use of technology is key to competing in today's global economy, and companies need to take every opportunity offered by IT to enhance their productivity, efficiency and customer service.

"This model, and the development programmes that will underpin it, constitute a vital step in helping companies of all sizes and sectors to recruit and develop the IT professionals they need to build value in today's challenging and exciting global business environment."

e-skills UK says the IT Professional Competency Model is a 'top layer' view of capabilities that links through to skills and development structures including the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) and the British Computer Society's Chartered Professional programme.

It expects that the model will also provide the framework for the creation of new development programmes and form the basis for qualifications reform and simplification.

For further information visit: www.e-skills.com/profit

Experience counts for more than qualifications for IT managers

IT Skills - Experience Rated Over Qualifications

Many organisations see IT management experience as more important than qualifications, according to a new British Computer Society (BCS) survey.

Almost 90% (88%) of organisations surveyed said that it was the experience of their IT managers that was important to them rather than their IT qualifications (41%).

When recruiting IT managers, 69% of companies put a high importance on the IT knowledge of the applicant compared with 51% who rated management knowledge highly. For the majority of organisations the head of IT or the equivalent was the key decision maker in the recruitment of IT managers.

The majority of organisations (69%) did not use a Professional Development scheme for their IT managers. However of those organisations that did use such a scheme, half were based on a scheme either run by or accredited by a professional body. In addition, 59% of the companies stated that they would put a high value on more standardised education and qualifications for IT managers.

spring clean your cv

I like it when the daffodils are blooming, and the blossom is covering the trees. It seems to awaken the "spring cleaning" gene that's usually buried deep. But luckily spring cleaning doesn't have to be just about de-junking those piles of "stuff" that have accumulated over the past few months. It's also a time to think about new opportunities - and start to make them happen.

Your CV is a lot like the computer you wrote it on: it is proficient enough, but will be out-of-date within a year. Because the world of business is so rapidly changing, your CV, just like your PC, needs to be upgraded regularly in order to meet its newest demands. And if the basic model is too old-fashioned to cope with the upgrades, it’s best to throw it out and get a new one, with all the latest new-fangled additions.

Making the decision to have a radical CV overhaul is the easy part. Knowing where to start is slightly more difficult. Do you begin with the skills you most recently attained, or with your fifteen-year-old exam grades?

The answer is: neither. Because before you rebound into writing your next CV, you are going to create a personal Career Data Bank. This stockpile of skills will act as a stepping stone between CVs, which you can add to as your career and CV requirements change.

Creating your Career Data Bank

You can now do this online, in a format that you can reuse again and again. Get your i-portfolio at www.iviva.com and you've got a permanent record that you can access from anywhere, and easily add to.

• On a piece of paper, begin a brainstorm, in whichever format you like. Scribble down, using your last CV only as a reminder, the:
• skills
• attitudes
• knowledge

that you have acquired or used at work.

• With each skill you note down, remember to include examples of its use, and the results this use yielded. Be indiscriminate. Throw anything down that you think a prospective employer may find relevant.

• When the time comes to apply for new jobs, this will be your one-stop-shop for CV renovations. From your Career Data Bank, you will be able to pick and mix from your collected skills, attitudes and knowledge in order to create a focussed profile that will match the job’s candidate specifications.

• Do this now, even if you’re not looking for a new job. If you do, it will be much quicker to create focussed CVs in the future - and speedy CVs are vital if you stumble across a job opportunity close to the closing date.

Leap into your future (UK)

COMPETITION

Striding Out is looking for ten young dynamic people
....with fresh, unique, high growth business ideas,
...who are ready to take the leap and turn their idea into a reality!

The Big Leap competition aims to energize and prepare ten young entrepreneurs ready for business. The participants are taken on a six-month journey to turn their idea into a reality with the help of a package of support, including interactive training, one to one coaching and a network of peers. The training is to be held in the comprehensive Business and IP Centre at The British Library.

At the end of the six months, the participants will create a comprehensive and professional business plan. The plans are submitted for judging and the three finalists with the most impressive plan will be put forward to investors.

Last year's winner, Cath Conway described the experience as "Fantastic. The sessions were very interesting and all the topics are essential for our business plan" She has also found it as a good place to network and has build friendships with other participants, as they share their ideas and are able to help each other. "We're quite lucky being in the Big Leap Competition, because we are able to interact with the professional advisors and get more in-depth information". Cath has gone on to secure investment readiness support from Trapezia Capital through the competition.

The Competition is kindly sponsored by The British Library and UK Skills, organiser of the Skills Challenge - the UK's premier set of skills competitions for students, trainees and employees. Registration is open until 16th March 2007, and the competition runs from March to September 2007.

For more information please visit:

www.stridingout.co.uk/competition.php