Employment options have altered dramatically over the past 15 years, with full-time and permanent employment no longer the 'standard'. This report examines changes in employment modes for various groups of workers and its effect on the level and extent of skills development. The report finds that there is reduced support for training by employers as a result of the changing employment patterns, and this means that skills development will increasingly need to be funded by workers themselves and the taxpayer through the public vocational education and training system.
This report is the final report - the synthesis report - from the research program, A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market. This overview draws together the key points identified across the research and integrates the conclusions from each of the five research themes to produce a coherent picture of the vocational education and training (VET) sector's role in responding to changes in the skills required by employers and the skill development needs of the workforce.
This report is part of a suite of research projects entitled 'A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market' conducted by a consortium of researchers from the National Institute of Labour Studies and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning. This report aims to clarify the term 'skill shortage' and to explain how skill shortages can be resolved naturally by market forces. It also provides some guidance on determining when a skill shortage requires public-policy intervention.