Publications

Evaluation of the Duty to Manage Asbestos

This research evaluates the impact of the Duty to Manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. It aims to: establish levels of compliance with the Duty; establish the extent to which compliance by dutyholders has brought about improved work practices among maintenance workers; re-assess the assumptions made in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which accompanied the introduction of the Regulations about costs/benefits of the duty; identify/investigate factors influencing dutyholders' compliance with the Duty and examine any barriers to compliance; and determine the proportion of non-domestic and domestic rented premises which contain asbestos and the rate at which this is being removed.

Skills for Self-Employment

The study provides an invaluable resource to inform policy in this area covering business start-up, support for unemployed people to become self-employed, enterprise education, and business growth. This small scale, explorative research study looks at the hitherto relatively under-researched question of the role of skills and training in the development of self-employment. It draws on a literature review, data analysis from the Labour Force Survey, and a series of expert interviews.

Evaluation of National Skills Academies - Synthesis Report

In 2008 the Institute for Employment Studies and Ipsos MORI were commissioned to conduct a two-year evaluation of National Skills Academies (NSAs) by the former Learning and Skills Council (LSC), now the Skills Funding Agency. NSAs were first established from 2006 and were rolled out incrementally over five rounds of development, under a competitive bidding process. This report synthesises evidence gathered over both years of the evaluation.

First survey of Get Connected Grant Recipients

This interim report sets out the findings from a survey undertaken of all care homes and domiciliary care organisations that had introduced changes to information and communications technology funded through the first round of the Get Connected grant scheme (funded through the Department of Health and managed by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, SCIE). It gives examples of the ways in which technology is being used to improve quality of life for residents in care and nursing homes and for individuals receiving domiciliary care services.

Unsuccessful Employment and Support Allowance claims - qualitative research

This qualitative study, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), was designed to provide a detailed understanding, from a customer perspective, of the views and subsequent experiences of people who apply for Employment and Support Allowance but whose claim is unsuccessful – either because their claim was closed by Jobcentre Plus or withdrawn by the customer before it was assessed, or because the customer was found fit for work and not entitled to ESA.

Exploring Employer Behaviour in Relation to Investors in People

Exploring Employer Behaviour in Relation to Investors in People (IIP) attempts to develop a deeper understanding of the IIP product and service offering from the perspective of employers. The research comprised a series of in-depth, qualitative interviews with employers who had enjoyed continued success with the Standard, as well as those employers who havd either committed or accredited to the Standard, but who had subsequently withdrawn from the IIP customer journey.

The Safe Learner

The impact of individual differences and workplace environment on attitudes to health and safety training

This reports details the second year of a two year project funded by the then Learning and Skills Council (now the Skills Funding Agency) looking at factors affecting the health and safety of young work-based learners. It explores the impact of the 'Safe Learner' training model on learner behaviour in the workplace, while taking into account the role of supervisory attitudes, organisational safety climate, role overload and individual differences as moderating variables mediating the exhibition of safe or unsafe behaviours. The project explored learners’ attitudes and beliefs towards health and safety, examined the organisational and individual difference factors that impact on learner health and safety at work and explored whether attitudes to safety change over time as a result of greater maturity, workplace safety culture, or further training.