Experian wins research contract to improve Central Government skills data

Government Skills, the Sector Skills Council for Central Government, has appointed an Experian-led consortium to improve its labour market information and help develop the evidence base for its strategic work on skills.

Government Skills is an employer-led organisation with a remit covering approximately 800,000 employees across all Government Departments and their Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and the Armed Forces.

The three-year contract provides Government Skills with access to Experian’s full range of skills and labour market research techniques, including comprehensive data collation and analysis, quantitative and qualitative research, highly specialised econometric forecasting/modelling and scenario building and futures exercises.

According to Dr Fiona Harris, Associate Director – Skills Futures: 'Experian’s successful track record working with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), the Skills for Business Network and Learning and Skills Council (LSC), ensures that, together with our partners, we can provide the specific knowledge, skills and experience required to enhance the coverage and credibility of the work undertaken by Government Skills.'

The first two research projects are already underway, with the results due in early 2008:

Skills and productivity: how can a skilled and well-qualified workforce improve central government productivity?

Demand for qualifications: understanding the demand for qualifications within the Civil Service, in particular looking at resistance to qualifications, and ways of overcoming them Future research will also focus on the role of management and leadership in enhanced public service delivery.

Andrew McDonald, Chief Executive of Government Skills said: 'Employers in our sector face a wide range of challenges, from those set by the December 2006 Leitch Review of Skills, Departmental Capability Reviews and the transformational government agenda. They are all dependent upon staff having the skills to deliver change, innovation and efficiency in public service delivery.

'Government Skills has a key role to play in this process and, as such, we need a long-term research partner with the expertise and capacity to undertake robust, evidence-based and insightful research, provide thought leadership, facilitate best practice across the civil service and Armed Forces, and support us as we work to improve skills across our sector.'

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