IER News & blogs

The Job Support Scheme announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 24^th September is a form of short-time working subsidy found in countries such as Germany and France. If an employee’s working hours are reduced and thereby their pay, the state will make up a third of the lost earnings and the employer a further third. In summary, the scheme is designed to distribute available work over a larger group of workers than would be the case otherwise thereby helping to offset any increase in unemployment resulting from the pandemic.

Warwick IER was commissioned by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to advise on how incentives can support employer apprenticeships during and beyond the Covid-19 crisis.

The study involved an international review of evidence on the financial and other incentives countries use to stimulate employer investment in apprenticeships. It explored: (a) where employer incentives have worked best; (b) how they were targeted; (c) which instruments were used; and (d) the risks and opportunities of different incentives.

The report provided an assessment of how incentive best practice might be applied in Scotland the short-, medium- and longer term, based on an analysis of Scottish apprenticeship data and consultations with international Vocational Education and Training (VET) experts.

Based on research from the Beyond 4.0 project examining the future of work and welfare, Chris Warhurst was invited to deliver a talk in September on ‘The challenges and opportunities in the digitalisation of production’.

The talk, co-presented with Steven Dhondt of the Dutch TNO, centred on making Industrie 4.0 work for all in an inclusive Europe. It was delivered to the Oesterreichische Nationalbank/European Money & Finance Forum event ‘25 years of EU Northern Enlargement’ held virtually in Vienna in September. The talk was based on a chapter in a report of the same name also published at the same time.

A new report, published by Forces in Mind Trust on September 23rd 2020, finds that the experience and skillset of Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) are often misunderstood and under-valued in the civilian labour market.

The report states that SNCOs’ unique skills, combined with their length of time in service, may put them at a disadvantage when they leave the Armed Forces and have to compete with civilians for jobs. The research, undertaken by a team at IER and QinetiQ, found that SNCOs often join the military at a very young age and can struggle to find employment when they leave service. The majority of SNCO veterans who took part in the research said they found it overwhelming to have to deal with the practicalities of civilian life at the same time as trying to find employment, and 23% found their lack of interview experience to be very challenging. Negative attitudes from potential employers were also found to be a barrier.

The report outlines recommendations for SNCOs to support their own transition as well as calling for more support from Government, business, and Armed Forces charities to ensure SNCOs’ skills are better understood and utilised by civilian employers.

Read more in the press release here.