More research needed into basic skills in the workplace

Citation

(2003), "More research needed into basic skills in the workplace", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445eab.007

More research needed into basic skills in the workplace

More research needed into basic skills in the workplace

More research is needed on the effectiveness of workplace education and training programmes in basic skills if the levels of adult literacy and numeracy in the UK are to be raised, says a report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). Basic Skills in the Workplace: A Research Review, brings together existing research and draws on views pressed at an LSDA expert seminar. It highlights the relative lack of interest in this field by academic researchers, the absence of any framework for harnessing the lessons learned from successful projects, and the absence of any agreed system for measuring the effectiveness of practice in delivering basic skills in the workplace.

The 1999 Moser Report, which highlighted the basic-skill needs of adults in the UK, reported that around seven million adults had insufficient literacy skills for the demands of daily life and work, with a still larger number having problems with numeracy. Almost half of those adults with basic-skill needs were in employment, mostly in low-skilled or short-term employment. The Moser Report also highlighted the relatively low level of training activity in the workplace, noting that there either does not appear to be a training culture for a large number of employees or, where training exists, it is focused more on younger workers.

Drawing on research in the UK and internationally, the LSDA report highlights the key messages that determine the effectiveness of workplace basic-skill programmes:

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  The marketing of basic-skill programmes must fit in with workers' interests and priorities, using positive titles such as "communication skills" to promote learning programmes.

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  Any basic-skill curriculum must take a "rough guide" or "survival skills" approach, based on the real-life communication needs of workers, who should be involved in designing the content and strategy.

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  Basic skills must be considered as part of an organization's overall training and development programme, with clear support from management, if it is to be effective.

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  There must be an understanding that a workplace basic-skill programme involves a considerable time commitment. Learning sessions should, ideally, be offered in working time and be provided free.

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  Partnerships, such as those between employers, unions and learning providers, should reflect local circumstances rather than an externally imposed model, and should involve a close working relationship with at least one local provider.

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  Guidance for learners should be provided, involving trained union learning representatives and other guidance professionals, where possible.

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  It is important that organizations providing education and training in basic skills work with the grain of the overall political climate, policy initiatives and funding systems.

Sue Grief, LSDA development adviser in basic skills, said: "There is not enough robust evidence about basic skills in the workplace to inform policy and practice. Weak research findings are often quoted long after they have been shown to be problematic. The challenge for research is how to measure the effectiveness of workplace basic-skill provision, how to assess the longer-term impact of learning programmes on employers and workers and how to raise the profile of this area of research among academics, policy makers and practitioners."

Basic Skills in the Workplace: A Research Review, by John Payne, is obtainable free of charge from Information Services, LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street, London W1F 7LS. Tel: +44 (0)20 7297 9144; E-mail: enquiries@lsda.org.uk