About the research

Whose responsibility? Employers views on developing their workers literacy, numeracy and employability skills by Ray Townsend and Peter Waterhouse

In any discussion of labour supply and labour productivity, the importance of literacy, numeracy and employability skills (such as communication and problem-solving) should not be overlooked. Very few jobs can be performed properly without these skills.

Whose responsibility? Employers’ views on developing their workers’ literacy, numeracy and employability skills by Ray Townsend and Peter Waterhouse explores the views of those employers already engaged in the provision of literacy, numeracy and employability skills and their continuing development in the workplace. The research focused on the question of who should be responsible for providing employees with the requisite skills. As discussed in the report, Townsend and Waterhouse argue that the solution to this issue relies on a collaborative effort: education and training providers and employers working together for the benefit of individuals and their organisations.

Key messages

• It is not realistic to expect the education and training system to provide employers with job-ready applicants, complete with all of the literacy, numeracy and employability skills required by employers.

• The employers surveyed all recognise the need to develop and continue to enhance the literacy, numeracy and employability skills in their employees.

• Many individuals with relatively high qualifications, even professionals, need to develop or build on their literacy, numeracy and employability skills. What they need to learn will depend on the evolving nature of their jobs.

• Training providers need to be able to equip employers with the skills for identifying literacy and numeracy gaps and to provide education ‘infrastructure’ services, such as contextualised educational design. This will encourage the continuation of literacy and numeracy learning in the workplace.

Readers interested in the provision and development of literacy, numeracy and employability skills in the workplace should also see Thinking beyond numbers: Learning numeracy for the future workplace by B Marr and J Hagston (NCVER 2007). This research reinforces the message that employees respond well to learning within their work context and to the opportunity to apply their learning at work.

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER

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