IER News & blogs

The UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC) offers the most detailed, data-driven picture yet of the UK labour market. It is an innovative new tool that will make it much easier to match people to job opportunities and target skills investment where it matters most.

Created by the IER and the University of Sheffield, in partnership with Omnifolio on behalf of Skills England, the SSC is a standardised set of categories that identify the skills, knowledge and tasks required across UK occupations. The SSC is available through the UK Skills Explorer Digital tool.

IER’s Dr Sangwoo Lee recently shared insights at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2026 conference in Los Angeles and at the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) 2026 conference in Oxford, challenging traditional views on the value of a university degree.

His research, "Beyond Earnings: The Multidimensional Job Quality Premiums for University Graduates in Europe," explores whether higher education truly delivers better working conditions across non-monetary dimensions.

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming International Workshop, a dedicated online event bringing together employers, policymakers, and labour market experts from across Europe to explore one of today’s most pressing challenges: the growing skills gap, taking place on 29 April 2026.

Organised by SkillsPULSE, a Horizon Europe project aimed at identifying, predicting, and mapping current and emerging skills shortages and gaps across Europe, this workshop will present the final results of the Employer Survey conducted in Poland, Italy, Greece, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland and Estonia.

Please REGISTER HERE

VET2050 is entering a new phase this spring with a series of in-person Vision Workshops beginning in May 2026, bringing together stakeholders to explore what a high quality vocational education and training system in England should look like by 2050. Alongside the workshops, the project invites wider engagement through an online feedback form as part of its commitment to long-term, collaborative thinking beyond short-term reform cycles.

Find out more in the VET2050 Project's April Newsletter.

Hilda Ragnarsdóttir at IER has joined the Board for Employability and Skills at the Centre for New Midlands, a not-for-profit think tank focused on creating and sharing new ideas to strengthen the West Midlands.

She will be undertaking research and contributing to the conversation on how to reduce economic inactivity, improve employability and address the skill gap in the region.