A report published by the Department for Education presents evidence on the need for a skills classification for the UK, and plans for the development and maintenance of such a classification.

Findings from a survey conducted for the research revealed two thirds of all respondents stated that a standard skills classification would improve data sharing with other organisations, and a high proportion thought it would facilitate innovation and the development of new services. Further discussions with stakeholders also highlighted strong (and unanimous) support for a standard skills classification. Again, the need for a common framework and terminology for skills was emphasised, allowing users to align their proprietary frameworks and reduce processing difficulties and costs when merging with data from other sources.

The research was led by IER's Peter EliasLink opens in a new window, with Andy Dickerson (University of Sheffield) and Neil Bachelor (Omnifolio C.I.C.).