Criteria lists of academic skills are widely used to assess the work readiness of people who are looking to enter or re-enter the apprenticeship market. These instruments represent a particular hurdle in the path to vocational training for low-skilled would-be trainees. We investigate the validity of one such list used in Germany. As different…

This report summarises the outcomes of the first (micro) phase of the thematic country review (TCR) on upskilling pathways in Italy. It reflects the perspectives of both the beneficiaries of the approaches considered and the actors involved in their implementation. The TCR focuses on outreach, guidance, tailored learning and on the crosscutting…

The student workforce plays a substantial part in several low-paying industries such as retail and hospitality, and this has grown over time. However, there has been little recent research. The usual assumption is that students compete successfully with the local labour force for low-skill, part-time jobs, but there is little evidence for this.…

The transforming landscape of education and employment in the United States makes it more difficult for workers to maintain living wage jobs with benefits, threatening their livelihood and future employment prospects as previous skills become obsolete. Employers are also struggling to hire and retain skilled workers. Regardless of long-term…

International political discourse has implied that upskilling leads to higher productivity and growth. Combining aspects from skills theory and institutional theory, this article asks what role upskilling can play in making bad jobs better, drawing on previous research about the process of professionalising the cleaning occupation in Norway. In…

This article investigates the role of 'voice', technology, innovation (of products, services, or processes) and labor shortages in the training participation of low skilled workers in German companies. By building on the key findings of previous research, hypotheses on drivers of training participation are derived from filter theory and the…

Over the past four decades, income inequality grew significantly between workers with bachelor's degrees and those with high school diplomas (often called "unskilled"). Rather than being unskilled, we argue that these workers are STARs because they are skilled through alternative routes--namely their work experience. Using the skill…

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, low-skilled workers have continued to move around the labour market. Working from home presents a new set of challenges for employees and managers alike. Our new research with the Chartered Management Institute looks at the role of managers in supporting low-skilled workers to thrive in their new workplaces…

Previous research examining skill mismatch in the labour market has ignored potential implications for workers outside of the work environment. We argue that the psychological strain that the discrepancy between worker's skills and job requirements wields on workers spills over into the non-work sphere, increasing work-life conflict. This study…

Economists, policymakers and other experts spend a great deal of time talking about the "future of work," but in many ways, the future is already here. Profound changes are already affecting our workforce and economy, including globalization, automation, and artificial intelligence. We need to adapt to these changes by adequately…

Across the OECD, the labour-market performance of foreign-born-adults tends to lag behind that of the native-born. Immigrants are not only more likely to be unemployed or inactive, but they also earn less and work in lower-skilled jobs. Differences in skills proficiency, language spoken and country of education explain a large part--albeit not the…

Accelerated aging trend has become a serious issue in meeting workforce demand in many developing and developed countries. Various workplace interventions have been sought to address this issue. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent that there is a typology of older workers whose skill proficiency and skill utilization are influenced…

A skilled workforce is a prerequisite for productivity and a stepping stone for innovation. This is the reason why education and investment in skills have been made the foundations of Europe 2020, Europe's strategy to overcome the economic crisis and boost growth. The propensity for developing skills is consistently present in European countries…

Research on the labour market experiences of highly skilled migrants has revealed the crippling employability challenges they face in the UK workplace resulting from the devaluation of their homeland qualifications and experiences. Studies on highly skilled migrants from Zimbabwe have revealed how migrants have to resort to semi-skilled and…

The paper places youth transitions and vocational education and training (VET) within the global policy context in which economic competiveness is hegemonic. It compares research from the 1970s/80s, which explored young peoples' lived experiences of VET and youth training schemes with contemporary work on similar themes. It argues that there are…