Anticipating skill needs of the labour force and equipping people for new jobs: Which role for Public Employment Services in early identification of skill needs and labour up-skilling?
English
Academic institutions
Research papers, synthesis reports, country and programme studies are collected from many academic institutions and national, regional and international professional associations.
Anticipating and matching skills needs
Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.
Career guidance and employment services
Career guidance and counselling, career education and lifelong development of skills for employability are key for success in learning activities, effective career transitions, livelihood planning, entrepreneurship and in increasing labour market participation. They are instrumental in promoting skills utilization, recognition (RPL), as well as in improving enterprise human resource management.
Career development activities encompass a wide variety of support activities including career information and advice, counselling, work exposure (e.g. job shadowing, work experience periods), assessment, coaching, mentoring, professional networking, advocacy, basic and employability skills training (curricular and non-curricular) and entrepreneurship training. It is often an area which is fragmented across different ministries (e.g. education, TVET, employment, youth) requiring an effort to achieve the necessary coordination to provide adequate support to individuals during learning, employment and unemployment/inactivity periods.
Participation of employers' and workers' organizations
The world of learning and the world of work are separate but linked. While one involves learning, the other produces goods and services. Neither can thrive without the other. Strong partnerships between government, employers and workers help ensure the relevance of training to the changing needs of enterprises and labour markets.
Research papers
Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.
The focus of the study is the role of PES in anticipation of new skills, in particular PES' use of anticipation methods, strategies and knowledge and only to a limited extent early intervention. The information on these topics was obtained through a multilingual online survey to European PES designed to deliver information about the current situation in the PES. An analytical framework and two main research questions guided the analysis of this information:
1. What are the main strategies and methods used by European PES concerning the collection, analysis and utilisation of information about future skill needs and skill supply?
2. Which factors may act as barriers against PES activities to collect, analyse and utilise information about future skill needs and future skill supply?
The study aimed to:
• map the current situation concerning European PES’ use of anticipation methods and strategies;
• outline and analyse the potential and current benefits of PES involvement in anticipation activities;
• identify and select good practice cases of methods and strategies for anticipating skill needs deployed by PES and develop recommendations for future action.
The main findings and conclusions are presented in the report, along with a short summary of the recommendations developed on the basis of the findings.
Skills anticipation
Skills upgrading
Vocational counseling
Europe and Central Asia
