OECD SKILLS STUDIES

BUILDING SKILLS FOR ALL: A REVIEW OF ENGLANDPOLICY INSIGHTS FROM THE SURVEY OF ADULT SKILLS

Magorzata KuczeraSimon FieldHendrickje Catriona Windisch

OECD Skills Studies

Building Skills for All:

A Review of England

POLICY INSIGHTS FROM THE SURVEY OF ADULT SKILLS

Magorzata Kuczera, Simon Field and

Hendrickje Catriona Windisch

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OECD 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

BUILDING SKILLS FOR ALL: A REVIEW OF ENGLAND OECD 2016

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This report was drafted by Magorzata Kuczera, Simon Field and Hendrickje

Windisch. Tanja Bastianic undertook much of the statistical analysis and Elisa

Larrakoetxea provided valuable administrative support. We are very grateful to

colleagues in England in the Departments of Business Innovation and Skills and

Education and many other people we met during our visits for their many very

constructive contributions to the review, in particular Frank Bowley, Anthony Clarke,

James Davison, Peter Drummond, Emily Knowles, Catherine Paulson-Ellis and Peter

Sellen. Within the OECD we are also very grateful for helpful comments and advice from

Ji Eun Chung, Marco Paccagnella, Glenda Quintini, Deborah Roseveare, William Thorn

and Thomas Weko.

* Please note figure 3 on page 15 and figure 3.2 on page 53 have been updated since the

1st of February 2016.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

BUILDING SKILLS FOR ALL: A REVIEW OF ENGLAND OECD 2016

Table of contents

Summary and recommendations ............................................................................................................... 9

Giving priority to early intervention .......................................................................................................... 9 Tackling low skills among those aged 16-19 ........................................................................................... 12 Tackling low skills in postsecondary education ...................................................................................... 14 Enhancing skills through working life ..................................................................................................... 16 Using evidence to advance adult learning ............................................................................................... 17

Chapter 1 Introduction: Giving priority to early intervention ............................................................ 20

The basic skills challenge ........................................................................................................................ 22 Understanding the main results ................................................................................................................ 24 Who are the low-skilled? ......................................................................................................................... 28 What are the effects of low-skills? ........................................................................................................... 30 The policy response in England ............................................................................................................... 31 Setting priorities ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Recommendation 1: Give priority to early intervention .......................................................................... 35

References .................................................................................................................................................. 36

Chapter 2 Tackling low skills among those aged 16-19 ....................................................................... 37

Challenge: Low skills and sometimes inadequate standards ................................................................... 38 Basic skills standards in upper secondary education in England ............................................................. 41 Recommendation 2: Sustain reform efforts and increase basic skills standards for upper secondary

education .................................................................................................................................................. 45 Supporting arguments: Building better skills through stronger initial education .................................... 45

References .................................................................................................................................................. 48

Chapter 3 Tackling low skills in postsecondary education ................................................................. 49

Challenges: Low skills among the well-qualified .................................................................................... 50 Recommendation 3: Divert unprepared university students and enhance basic skills tuition ................. 61 Supporting arguments: Rebalancing postsecondary education ................................................................ 61

References .................................................................................................................................................. 69

Chapter 4 Enhancing skills through working life ................................................................................. 71

Challenges: Low-skilled young adults and transition to the labour market ............................................. 72 Recommendation 4: Improve transitions into work and promote upskilling at work .............................. 75 Supporting arguments: Smoothing the path to the labour market ........................................................... 75

References .................................................................................................................................................. 82

6- TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUILDING SKILLS FOR ALL: A REVIEW OF ENGLAND OECD 2016

Chapter 5 Using evidence to advance adult learning ............................................................................ 83

The challenge: Multiple obstacles to adult learning ................................................................................ 84 Recommendation 5: Use evidence to support adult learning ................................................................... 85 Supporting arguments: Strengthening motivation, teaching quality and the learning context ................ 85

References .................................................................................................................................................. 93

Annex A ...................................................................................................................................................... 99

Annex B .................................................................................................................................................... 103

Annex C .................................................................................................................................................... 106

Tables

Table 1. Share of young adults with low basic skills ................................................................................ 10 Table 1.1. Share of young adults with low basic skills ............................................................................. 26 Table 2.1. What are the basic skills demands of upper secondary qualifications in England? ................. 42 Table 2.2. What are the basic skills demands of upper secondary qualifications in other countries? ....... 43 Table 3.1. The earnings of university graduates in England depend heavily on basic skills .................... 60 Table 4.1. Relative to other countries, the low-skilled in England are more likely to use their basic skills

at work ............................................................................................................................................... 79 Table A1.1. How low skills in the International Survey of Adult Skills relates to the N