It is crucial that young people make successful transitions from education to employment. The choices they make at school, and the subsequent pathways they follow – engaging in different types of education and training, acquiring different types of qualification - lead to very different outcomes.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
The Skills Imperative 2035
NFER is leading a strategic research partnership, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, to identify the essential employment skills people will need for work by 2035.
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Equalising access to apprenticeships
NFER is undertaking research into Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships, with a particular focus on access for young people.
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NFER Apprenticeship research
Find out more about NFER's recent research into apprenticeships.
Learn More >Our research seeks to inform the development of an education system that supports young people in their journey through education and into employment, equipping them with the skills, high-quality qualifications and information necessary for their futures, and their wider contribution to society and the economy
We are committed to helping to improve the means by which young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, access opportunities and information that encourage them to understand their talents and interests, and identify appropriate education pathways to employment.
Our research explores the most effective ways of achieving this, and of increasing young people’s engagement with education. We also support the development of high-quality routes into employment through our research on different aspects of the many institutions, qualifications and training routes available, and how they can be strengthened.
Analysis of which workers are likely to be displaced from their current occupations in future and the challenges to finding work in growing occupations.
Analysis quantifying the current availability of the seven essential employment skills amongst the population.
Projections of the skills needed in future jobs, plus estimates of 'skills demand' in 2035.
Blog post by Dr Lisa Morrison Coulthard, published as part of UCAS's 'Journey to a Million' campaign.
Blog post by Dr Lisa Morrison Coulthard, first published in The Edge Foundation's 'Skills Shortages in the UK economy' bulletin.
Headline report on how the size and composition of the labour market might change by 2035.
This literature review is the first report under The Skills Imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce research programme, which is being funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Blog post by Dr Lisa Morrison Coulthard
In November 2021, the Education Select Committee launched an inquiry into the Future of Post-16 Qualifications.
The research focused on the first providers who started delivering their Transition Programmes from September 2020 in Education and Childcare; Digital; and Construction.
This research seeks to fill this gap by investigating the availability of intermediate (Level 2, equivalent to GCSEs) and advanced (Level 3, equivalent to A-levels) apprenticeships, and associated age, qualification, skill and experience requirements.
NFER Research Director Luke Bocock discusses what should be done in response to the rise of automation and artificial intelligence in the workplace.