At IER, Lynn is involved in a programme of research on apprenticeships, skills and training. Her research considers a variety of issues including: employers’ perspectives on training; the returns to training for employers and apprentices / trainees; employer responses to funding arrangements for apprenticeships; and comparison of training and apprenticeship systems across Europe. She has recently carried out a number of studies focusing on apprenticeships and the value of qualifications, including: a review of recent research into apprenticeships; a review of the methodological issues encountered in estimating the returns to different forms of learning and training; and, a review of the approaches underlying current estimates of the returns to different qualifications.
Upcoming
Postgraduate Open Day - 26 November
If you are interested in doing a doctorate at IER why not come and visit us at the University of Warwick postgraduate day? You can meet some of our current doctoral students and find out firsthand what it is like to study at IER. To book your place or attend virtually, go to: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/visits/opendays.
Free Seminar: The State of Play - Employers, schools and the delivery of careers advice
This seminar, to be held on 28 November in London, will outline key findings from a mixed methods research study undertaken by a consortium of experts on the link between employers, schools and the National Careers Service. The study has been led by the IER on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Professor Jenny Bimrose and Dr Deirdre Hughes (IER Associate Fellow) will present findings from the research that illustrates how employers are working and linking with schools/colleges in a variety of ways that bring significant benefit. The seminar will reflect on key findings and consider future options for the triangulation of education, employer and careers service working links. Findings indicate that a new paradigm shift is taking place, with the critical question for all of the actors involved being: ‘where next?’ The seminar is free to attend, but places are limited and must be booked in advance. To book a place, please visit the Education and Employers Taskforce website.
Recent events
Connecting Research on Work and Employment (CREW) network
The Welcome to CREW reception was held on 28 October in the Wolfson Research Exchange. The new Warwick CREW network is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences. It aims to make links across departments and faculties bringing together scholars interested in a range of current and historical issues around work, labour and employment in all its forms and social locations. The network is a joint initiative between IER, the Sociology Department, the Industrial Relations Research Unit (IRRU) and the School of Law. Upcoming events include: a lecture by Professor Colin Crouch on 20 November entitled 'Employment security in the neoliberal age'; and a visit Professor Mary Gatta (Rutgers University) in January 2015.
Lecture on maritime employment
Milena Kremakova gave a guest lecture on maritime employment and post-socialist change in the 'Sociologically Speaking' seminar series at Coventry University on 4 November. Milena’s lecture was entitled: ‘Sea Change: two generations of Bulgarian seafarers and the fall of communism’.
Other news
Anne Green researching what works in tackling poverty
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is funding four groundbreaking research projects on what works in tackling poverty. In association with the Public Policy Institute for Wales, the aim of the research is to advance understanding of effective strategies for tackling poverty. Professor Anne Green is leading one of the projects on 'Harnessing growth sectors for poverty reduction: what works to reduce poverty through sustainable employment with opportunities for progression?'. Find out more about Anne's project, with Paul Sissons (University of Coventry), Neil Lee (LSE) and the Bevan Foundation, in her blog.
Rob Wilson and Erez Yerushalmi meet UNESCO
As a first stage towards developing quantitative forecasts for skills supply and demand - part of the Mediterranean Youth (NET MED Youth) program - Professor Rob Wilson and Dr Erez Yerushalmi recently visited UNESCO in Paris. UNESCO are developing a Mediterranean Youth (NET MED Youth) program, funded by the European Union, to support youth issues and priorities across national decision-making and policy implementation in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia. One element of this program is to explore the value of developing quantitative forecasts for skills supply and demand for these countries, something that has never been done before. Rob and Erez, together with colleagues from Cambridge Econometrics, met at UNESCO to begin a feasibility exercise to determine if such forecasts would be possible and useful. This initial phase involved meeting with National experts from each country, as well as with senior programme and field officers from UNESCO, to explore conceptual and practical issues. At this phase of the program, the prime focus is on reviewing critically the key issues facing young people in these countries and the possibility for developing such models and forecasts to help address these issues. A key interest is in the types of data available from these countries as a precursor to producing a Situational Analysis Report that will set out recommendations on the potential for such work in each of the countries.
Robert Lindley Scholarship in Employment Policy Research
Following his retirement as Director of IER, Robert Lindley Scholarship in Employment Policy Research has just been established. This scholarship is intended to encourage cross-over between the academic and policy-maker communities. The first recipient is IER's PhD student Lorraine Johnson. Lorraine formerly worked for one of the sector skills councils and started her doctorate in October. Her doctorate is focused on how women in their late career experience redundancy contributing to our understanding of the role of UK policy and career support systems. Lorraine is being supervised by Chris Warhurst and Sally-Anne Barnes.
Heike Behle was appointed as an expert for the evaluation of proposals submitted under the EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020.
Publications
Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Holocher-Ertl, T., Kieslinger, B., Kunzmann, C., Prilla, M., Schmidt, A. and Wolf, C. (2014) The Role of Facilitation in Technology-Enhanced Learning for Public Employment Services. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 56 - 63.
Brown, A. & Bimrose, J. (2015) Identity Development. In Hartung, P. J.; Savickas, M. L.; and Walsh, W. B. (Eds), (2015). APA handbook of career intervention, Volume 2: Applications. APA handbooks in psychology., (pp. 241-254). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, ix, 565 pp.
Brown, A. & Bimrose, J. (2014) Model of Learning for Career and Labour Market Transitions, Research in Comparative and International Education, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 270-286.
Following his retirement as Director of IER, Robert Lindley Scholarship in Employment Policy Research has just been established. This scholarship is intended to encourage cross-over between the academic and policy-maker communities.