Deborah Talbot, Communications Officer at MWS, talked to Vikki Liogier, National Head of EdTech and Digital Skills at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) about the benefits of, and barriers towards, using EdTech in colleges
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A report by the Learning and Work Institute (L&W) says that the UK skills deficit will cost the country £120 billion by 2030.
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Technology is impacting society and everyday life in all sectors, yet education and training lag conspicuously behind. Should the education and training sector be more technologically engaged, and what are the implications for pedagogy?
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A report published in 2019 by the Learning and Work Institute (L&W) shows the intrinsic link between skills and productivity increases.
The report, Time for Action: Skills for Economic Growth and Justice, says skills improvements have contributed to one-fifth of UK economic growth over several decades.
These increases were driven by a higher proportion of highly qualified people in the UK. One study showed that each percentage increase in the number of graduates leads to a 0.2% to 0.5% productivity bump.
Analysing UK and global research, the report reveals that there are five reasons for why skills impact productivity. L&W call these the ‘five foundations of productivity’. So what are they?
High-skilled people produce ideas they apply to business, which converts into higher productivity. For example, a company won’t be able to use a new technology unless it has highly skilled people to implement it.
The report argues that the UK has a low quality of leadership and management, leading to bottlenecks in the ability of companies to implement innovations. Also, one study by Dearden, Reed and van Reen in 2006, found that a 1% increase in the number of workers training in an industry-led to a 0.6% rise in productivity, with half going to the worker in increased wages and half to the business.
The economy doesn’t work without good infrastructure – think trains, buses, broadband and energy. Without transport, people can’t get to work, and without broadband, businesses can’t make use of the potential of the internet. An effective infrastructure needs an excellent skills base to build it.
A good skills base makes it easier for people to start businesses. And businesses will invest in a country, region, or city that has the skills they need.
The UK, like the US, has big disparities in its skills base across regions. Productivity in London is 50% higher than the rest of the UK. The report argues that concerted action is needed on all give preconditions for productivity to counter regional inequalities, which, in turn, would improve the country’s performance as a whole.
The Learning and Work Institute says government and companies need to invest £1.9 billion per year and reverse falls in adult reskilling to achieve real productivity gains. Given government pledges to spend an additional £120 million for technical institutes, while apprenticeship starts are growing only slightly, it seems right to reflect on the gap between what is needed and what is offered.
“We’ve always known that, globally, productivity increases and economic growth are founded on retraining people in much-needed skills. Our entire business model is built on contributing to skills development by enabling training providers to deliver programmes efficiently, with built-in features helping them to nurture and progress learners.
“This new report really helps us to understand why skills matter and why what we are doing as a company is based on sound economic facts. I’d urge all those in the sector to read it and absorb its lessons.”
Ofsted has started delivering on its new inspection framework. What can providers expect?
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Ofsted visits are notoriously stressful – if you’re caught off guard, staff can end up in a panic trying to reconcile all the data and information to present to Ofsted. Aptem instils a sense of calm with a selection of features that drive, and effectively demonstrate to Ofsted, progression and development.
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The government has announced that it is launching the first three T Levels in the Autumn of 2020. But what are T Levels, and will they help deliver the government’s skills strategy?
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Artificial intelligence, or the rise of the smart machine, is the stuff of science fiction. But applying machine learning to apprenticeships can deliver a better learning experience, argues Mark Abrahams, Head of Research at MWS Technology.
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